


Water and Brimstone

by Aetherdrive



Series: hq buddycop AUs [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aquaphobia, Fake Marriage, M/M, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-21
Updated: 2015-05-01
Packaged: 2018-03-18 20:27:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 41,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3582825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aetherdrive/pseuds/Aetherdrive
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kuroo and Kenma are assigned to go undercover as a result of Bokuto’s awkward attempt at playing matchmaker... but their simple case turns out to be a lot more dangerous than they expected.</p><p>A sequel to "Crisis Converted".</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a sequel to "Crisis Converted", which is a bokuaka-centric fic that kuroken plays an important role in. It's recommended that you read it first, since there are many references to it, but it's not completely necessary :>
> 
> As a side note, there is no "crossdressing" tag on this fic, since I don't really believe in the concept... I don't think "women's clothing" or "men's clothing" is really a thing, so it's never referred to that way in the story (and to be honest, I'm expressing myself a lot through Kenma in this fic, as a guy who dresses in a feminine way).
> 
> Thank you for reading!

Kuroo Tetsurou, veteran detective of Special Investigations 1st Unit, had a massive headache -- and it was all Bokuto’s fault.  
  
“Seriously, Akaashi and I have been on _so_ many dates,” the captain gushed. He was in 1st Unit’s office with Akaashi and Kuroo; the other members of the unit were all out on cases, except for Kenma, who’d gone to pick up a delivery order for lunch. “I wanna do something special tomorrow, y’know, since it’s been two months since he moved in with me--”  
  
Kuroo rolled his eyes and took a sip of his coffee. “On one hand, I’m super happy for you, but on the other, you’re totally bragging about it.”  
  
“I am _not_ bragging -- okay, maybe I am, just a little,” Bokuto grinned from his seat on the couch. He wilted a bit when Akaashi sat down beside him with an exasperated look.  
  
“Don’t mind him, Kuroo-san. Why don’t you take Kenma somewhere on your next day off together?” he suggested politely.  
  
Bokuto sighed theatrically as Kuroo turned faintly pink and looked away. “...Maybe because we’re not dating,” he mumbled. He glanced back just in time to see Akaashi’s mouth drop open in shock.  
  
“...Are you serious?” he finally managed. “I thought for sure... I mean... I’m sorry, Kuroo-san, that was rude of me.”  
  
“It’s fine--”  
  
“No, it’s totally _not_ fine,” Bokuto insisted. “C’mon! It’s _ridiculous_ , Akaashi, I can’t tell you how frustrating it’s been seeing them dance around each other for _years_ \--”  
  
At that moment, Kenma walked back into the room with his arms full of delivery bags. Bokuto immediately fell silent as Kuroo’s partner shot him a suspicious look.  
  
“...What were you talking about?” he asked as he put the food on the table near Kuroo.  
  
“Oh, uh... nothing!” Bokuto laughed awkwardly. “Just how hopeless Kuroo’s hair is.”  
  
“Hey!” Kuroo protested. He looked helplessly at Kenma, who just shrugged.  
  
“It’s not like he’s wrong,” he said as he handed Kuroo a can of melon soda. “Sorry,” he added, with the hint of a small smile at his lips.  
  
Kuroo opened his drink with a frown. “You’re not sorry at all.”  
  
Kenma smiled at him, and Kuroo smiled back. Neither of them noticed Bokuto nudge Akaashi in the arm; Akaashi just shrugged helplessly. Bokuto winked, and Akaashi narrowed his eyes; the captain of 1st Unit was up to something, and it was probably going to be ridiculous.

* * *

“Keiji--”  
  
Bokuto wilted a little as Akaashi gave him a suspicious look. They were at a small cafe near the office on their lunch break, and Bokuto had been unusually quiet since the encounter with Kuroo the day before.  
  
“This is about Kuroo-san and Kenma, right?” At Bokuto’s sheepish grin, he sighed. “What could we possibly do? Haven’t they been friends most of their lives?”  
  
“Maybe they just need a little push from their other friends, right?!” Bokuto insisted. “C’mon! We could put them on a case together--”  
  
“Koutarou. They’re _partners_. They’ve been partners for, what, six years now?” Akaashi sighed again and took another sip of his drink. “They _always_ work together.”  
  
“Okay, yeah, that’s true, but listen,” he said with a gleam in his eyes and a growing smile on his face. “I mean... a _special_ kind of mission. Remember that one time on a stakeout when we had to pretend we were a couple for like, sixty seconds, before we actually got together?”  
  
Akaashi squinted at him, and flushed a little. “...I’m not sure how I could forget that. What’s your point?”  
  
“Well, I mean, what if Kuroo and Kenma had to do that... but for like, _three days_ ,” he grinned eagerly. “There is _no way_ they’d be able to keep dancing around each other after that! Right?”  
  
Akaashi narrowed his eyes. “You obviously have something specific in mind, but I can tell you it already sounds totally ridiculous.”  
  
Bokuto crossed his arms and pouted. “Seriously, c’mon, give me some credit! Hear me out, it’s a really good idea! You’ll totally be on board with it... uh, probably,” he laughed sheepishly. “See, there’s this case that Chief’s been putting together...”  
  
Akaashi put a hand up to stop him. “Tell me when we get back in the car.” He finished the last of his drink, and looked at Bokuto thoughtfully. “...Do you really think it’ll work, whatever it is?”  
  
Bokuto’s smile was blinding. “There’s no doubt in my mind!”

* * *

“Let’s try something new for lunch today,” Kuroo said as he started the car.  
  
Kenma finished buckling his seatbelt, and glanced over at his partner and childhood friend. “...Like what?”  
  
“Hmm.” He tapped on the steering wheel in thought. “We should get donuts.”  
  
Kenma gave him a blank look. “...Why donuts? Donuts aren’t lunch.”  
  
“It’s an American thing, isn’t it? American cops love donuts, or something like that.” Kuroo grinned as he pulled out of the parking lot and onto the street. “Some sugar would be nice, right? Maybe it’d make you a little more agreeable.”  
  
Kenma ignored the joke about his attitude. “I’d rather have apple pie.”  
  
“Yeah, but you’d _always_ rather have apple pie,” Kuroo chuckled. “What if I told you this place has an apple pie donut?” Kenma’s eyes lit up, and Kuroo laughed as he turned onto a side street. “Yeah, I thought that’d get your attention. We can always eat something else later. But for now, let’s get some donuts. My treat.”  
  
“You’ve been buying me lunch almost every day for months,” Kenma pointed out. “Let me buy it for once.”  
  
“No can do,” Kuroo said. His smile changed a little, and became more serious as his voice softened. “As far as I’m concerned, I owe you. For the rest of my life.”  
  
Kenma frowned, just slightly. “...You don’t have to buy me lunch forever because of what happened on New Year’s.”  
  
Kuroo glanced at him as they stopped at a red light, and Kenma felt his chest grow warmer at the slight smile on the other man’s face. “After what you did for me, buying you lunch for the rest of our lives is the least I can do.”  
  
“You would’ve done the same thing for me,” Kenma insisted quietly. “You don’t have to pay me back, or anything like that.”  
  
Kuroo sighed as a fond smile quirked at the edges of his lips. The light changed color, and he continued driving; he spoke as his eyes carefully scanned the road ahead. “That’s true. But I’m still gonna buy your lunch anyway.”  
  
Kenma flipped his closed cell phone idly between his hands as he stared out of the window in thought. The silence between them wasn’t uneasy or awkward; after so many years around each other, it almost never was. A couple minutes later, Kuroo parked the car in a lot as they arrived at the shop. “I’ll be back. Don’t miss me too much,” he grinned.  
  
Kenma rolled his eyes and opened a game on his phone to pass the time as Kuroo shut the door and walked away. But after a moment, he lowered the phone into his lap and stared out the window, lost in thought yet again.  
  
 _I wonder why he’s so hung up on what I did for him._ His right shoulder ached a little, and he massaged it absentmindedly. _Most people wouldn’t still be so focused on it six months after it happened... right? Is it because we’re partners? Or..._ Just then, he heard the driver side door open, and turned his head to see Kuroo climb back into the car with a small paper bag.  
  
“I got you two,” he said as he closed the door again. His eyes flickered to the hand that Kenma was using to massage his shoulder, and his brows knitted slightly in concern. “...You okay?” he asked softly.  
  
Kenma shrugged nonchalantly, and peered into the bag. “Yeah,” he replied as he took out one of the apple pie donuts. “Just aches a little. Don’t worry about it.” He took a bite of the small pastry, and closed his eyes in bliss. “Mmm.”  
  
A small, fond smile quirked at Kuroo’s lips, and he took a bite of one of his own donuts before chewing quietly for a moment. “Oh, hey. Do you have physical therapy tonight?”  
  
“Yeah.” Kenma ate the rest of his pastry, and Kuroo laughed.  
  
“You practically inhaled that thing. New favorite?”  
  
Kenma shrugged. “It doesn’t beat regular apple pie. But it’s a pretty close second.”  
  
“Not too bad, then.” Kuroo’s smile faded into another of his serious, thoughtful expressions. “Is it okay if I come with you tonight?”  
  
“Please,” Kenma replied quickly. He seemed to shrink into himself for a moment, and his voice was quieter when he spoke again. “...Please. If you want, I mean.”  
  
Kuroo turned a little in his seat to face his partner. “Yeah, of course,” he said softly. “As long as it doesn’t bother you, I’ll always wanna go.”  
  
Kenma’s gaze moved to the window again; his expression seemed neutral, but Kuroo could see the barest hints of anxiety and shame in his features. “Yeah. It just... still reminds me a lot of what happened. When I thought I was gonna die.” _‘So I get nervous when you’re not there’_   was the unspoken weight to the words, the feeling that Kenma couldn’t quite bring himself to voice aloud.  
  
But he’d been friends with Kuroo for twenty years, since they were both barely old enough to be in school -- so Kuroo picked up on it anyway, as easily as if Kenma had screamed it at the top of his lungs. “Yeah, makes sense. Well, it’s no hassle for me, so I don’t mind,” he replied casually.  
  
“Isn’t it boring?” Kenma asked. “And we’re tired after work, too.”  
  
Kuroo shrugged. “I find it relaxing.” Kenma squinted at him, and he laughed and ruffled the shorter man’s hair. “Sounds a little weird with no context, right? But it’s good to see you recover, is all. You know? You’re getting better.”  
  
Kenma twisted his phone in his hands, and failed to hide his tiny smile. “...You’ve become even more embarrassing since I got shot.”  
  
Warm laughter filled the car as Kuroo pushed the bag with donuts into Kenma’s hands before he buckled his seatbelt. “Comes with the territory. It’s part of the job, right? I’ve been your best friend for most of your life. I’ve gotta fill my quota.”  
  
He got an unintelligible grumble in response as Kenma turned his gaze out of the window once more. Kuroo reached forward and turned the radio on as he pulled away from the curb and began to drive, and Kenma found his thoughts drifting yet again.  
  
 _Best friends._ Kuroo hummed along to the song playing on the radio, and Kenma felt a mixture of profound fondness and vague discomfort.  
  
 _Why doesn’t it feel like that’s enough for me anymore?_

* * *

As Kenma went through his stretching exercises with the therapist, Kuroo watched quietly from the side.  
  
He observed intently, as he always did, but pretended like he wasn’t by keeping his phone open in his hands. His heart was heavy with a mixture of pride, protectiveness and regret, and every small grimace he saw on Kenma’s face made his chest ache.  
  
Carefully, Kenma went through the familiar motions as his doctor guided him; they’d become much easier for him over the last few months as the condition of his shoulder improved. It still wasn’t easy, but it had gotten much easier; he hated physical therapy far less than when he’d originally started it.  
  
“You’ve made remarkable progress,” his doctor said with a smile as Kenma finished and slipped his shoes back on. “Honestly, you were quite lucky. Most people that suffer bullet wounds in the shoulder have to endure highly reduced movement and a fair amount of pain, even after therapy. But your condition has already returned almost back to normal.”  
  
“I’d still be lucky, even if I had to deal with that,” Kenma said with a small shrug as he picked his bag up from the floor.  
  
The doctor chuckled quietly, but the look on his face was slightly somber. “Yes, I suppose that’s true. A very optimistic way to think about it. Well, I’m glad you’re still with us, Detective.”  
  
“Me too,” Kuroo said with a smile as he stood up and ruffled Kenma’s hair. “Thanks for all your help.”  
  
“Of course. Please call me if you need anything. Take care, now.”  
  
Kuroo gave him a lazy salute as he turned to leave. Kenma followed close behind as they left the building; it was beginning to get dark outside as the last wisps of dusk faded into the night. They made their way back to the car in silence; Kuroo didn’t speak until they’d both fastened their seatbelts and he’d started the engine.  
  
“Feeling okay?”  
  
“Yeah.” Kenma was quiet for several more moments as Kuroo pulled out of the parking lot and onto the street. “...Just tired. I wanna go to bed.”  
  
“Dinner first,” Kuroo said. Kenma groaned in response, and Kuroo just laughed. “You’re already way too short and scrawny. Apple pie donuts aren’t nutritious enough for you to get away with skipping a meal. Sorry.”  
  
“I’m not nearly as scrawny as I was in high school,” Kenma complained.  
  
“Oh? Could’ve fooled me,” Kuroo said with a smirk. “Let’s stop by Fukuro Grill and pick something up. You can put in an online order on your phone, so it’ll almost be done by the time we get there. Sound good?”  
  
“Fine,” he sighed. “I’ll pull their site up...”  
  
“Nice. Hey, get some yakiniku for me? Bokuto’s been talking about it all day and got me craving it.”  
  
Kenma hummed in response, and for a minute, the only sound in the car was him rapidly pushing buttons on his phone. Kuroo found it peaceful, and relaxing in its familiarity -- and ever since he’d almost lost Kenma six months before, he found himself cherishing even the simplest of moments. A rush of tension in his heart left him a little breathless as his thoughts turned inward -- _I almost lost him. I still can’t believe I came so close to losing him forever._  
  
“All right. Apparently it’ll be ready in about twenty minutes.” Kenma squinted at the clock on his screen. “It should only take us like five to get there, though.”  
  
“No sweat. We can just sit at a table and drink something while they finish.” He fiddled with the radio, and stopped when it reached an enka station -- then immediately began singing along.  
  
“Ugh, no,” Kenma griped as he reached forward to switch the station to something else. “You don’t even like enka.”  
  
“Nope,” Kuroo agreed with a huge grin, “But I like seeing you wrinkle your nose every time I play it.” He chuckled as Kenma rolled his eyes; he couldn’t even see him do it, since he was watching the road as he drove, but he knew him well enough to have practically sensed it anyway. “Come on, enka is poetic. Really beautiful stuff.”  
  
Kenma huffed. “No. You’re so full of it.”  
  
Kuroo’s smile grew larger. “At least my singing is good, though, right?”  
  
“No, it’s terrible,” Kenma replied immediately.  
  
Kuroo pouted as he turned onto a side street. “That’s rude, and also a total lie. My voice is beautiful. I know you like my singing. I’ve totally caught you listening to me sing more than once.”  
  
“Just because I like it, that doesn’t mean it’s good,” Kenma shot back.  
  
“Aha! You admit that you like it, then!” Kuroo grinned. Kenma groaned a little in annoyance, and sank down in his seat. Kuroo glanced to the side for a moment to confirm his suspicion, and sure enough, his partner’s cheeks were faintly pink. “No need to be flustered. My ballads could move the heart of even the surliest critic.”  
  
“You seriously are so full of it,” Kenma muttered. A small smile curved at his lips despite himself, though; the back-and-forth teasing felt as natural to both of them as breathing. “Embarrassing as always.”  
  
Kuroo’s grin grew larger as he pulled over and parked the car. “Thank you kindly.”  
  
“It wasn’t a compliment,” Kenma said with a quiet laugh as he took his seatbelt off.  
  
Kuroo’s laughter blended with the background noise of the restaurant as they shut the car doors and walked inside together. The atmosphere was warm, and lively without being too noisy or crowded -- one of the main reasons Kenma liked it there so much.  
  
Kuroo waved lazily at the cashier, who waved back; the members of 1st Unit were all familiar faces in the restaurant. He took a chair at the closest empty table, and Kenma sat down quietly beside him like he always did. A few moments later, a waiter greeted them politely with two glasses of water; Kuroo sipped at his as Kenma idly tapped away at an otome game on his phone.  
  
Kuroo watched with his usual interest. “That guy’s an ass,” he said as one of the characters insulted the protagonist. “Don’t date that one.”  
  
“Yeah, he’s annoying,” Kenma agreed. “Wait until you see the other ones, they’re better. He’s the worst romantic option in the game.”  
  
They easily passed the next fifteen minutes together until their food was ready. When the waiter brought it over, it was already bagged up; they thanked him, and Kuroo hooked his arm around Kenma’s shoulders as they walked back to the car.  
  
“Make sure you eat all of this, okay?”  
  
“We’re not even home yet, and you’re already nagging me,” Kenma sighed. There was another hint of a smile on his face, though. “I’ll finish what I can. But I’m tired.”  
  
“Always room for dinner.” Kuroo started the car after they buckled up, and pulled smoothly back into the street. “Hell, start on it now if you want. The sooner you finish that, the sooner I’ll stop bugging you and let you sleep.”  
  
Kenma sighed with exasperation as he opened the bag to pick at his takeout. Ten minutes later, they were back at their apartment complex, and half of his food was gone.  
  
“Nice. Come on, we can finish eating together while you play something,” Kuroo said as he stifled a yawn.  
  
“You’re more tired than I am,” Kenma said with a quiet smile as they made their way into the lobby.  
  
Kuroo shrugged. “Comes with the territory. All that hard work, you know?”  
  
“Pffft,” Kenma chuckled as they walked into an elevator. He hit the button for the fourth floor, and leaned against the wall. “Sure, whatever you say.”  
  
“Hey,” Kuroo objected. With a smirk, he leaned over and ruffled Kenma’s hair yet again. “You’re so rude when you’re tired. And pretty much all the time, I guess.”  
  
“I am not.” The elevator doors opened with a soft ding as they reached the 4th floor and walked down the hallway, side by side. “There’s a difference between quiet and rude.”  
  
“Fair enough.” Kuroo took his keys out of his pocket, and unlocked the door; once they were inside, they both slipped their shoes off and made a beeline for the couch. “Time to eat! I’m starving.” He pulled out his container of yakiniku as Kenma took the last of his own food. “Hey, are you gonna play something once you finish that, or go right to bed?”  
  
“I’m going to get a little further in Dragon Quest VIII. It’s getting really good since I got the last party member.” He began to quickly finish the remainder of his dinner, and Kuroo chuckled as he took a bite of his own.  
  
“Cool. Let me watch?”  
  
Kenma gave him a blank look as he swallowed what he’d been chewing on. “You always watch. When have I ever said no?”  
  
Kuroo shrugged. “Hey, you were just complaining about how tired you are. Figured you might not want me in your business for once.”  
  
A small smile curved at Kenma’s lips as he glanced away. “...I don’t mind,” he said quietly. “I’m just surprised you haven’t gotten bored with it, after all these years.”  
  
“It’s pretty much tradition at this point. But definitely my favorite one,” Kuroo said between bites. “It’s fun!” _And a good excuse to be close_.  
  
“You’re weird,” Kenma laughed.  
  
Kuroo grinned back. “Like you’re one to talk.”  
  
It only took a couple minutes for Kenma to finish the rest of his food; as soon as he was done, he turned on the television and the PS2. Before he sat back down, Kuroo spread out languidly; Kenma took a seat in between his legs, and Kuroo leaned forward so that his chest was warm against Kenma’s back.  
  
The casual intimacy was far from unusual for them, but they both still secretly cherished it all the same. Gently, Kuroo rested his chin on Kenma’s shoulder as he leaned forward, and loosely looped his arms around the smaller man’s waist. Outwardly, Kenma didn’t react -- but a fond, slightly nervous warmth bloomed in his chest, and the smallest of smiles tugged at the corners of his lips.  
  
They stayed there like that for over an hour, until Kenma was so tired that he could barely keep his eyes open any longer. But when he put the controller down and turned to tell Kuroo he was done, he realized the other detective was already asleep.  
  
With a fond smile, he wiggled out of Kuroo’s grasp to turn the PS2 off before he returned to the couch to gently shake his partner awake.  
  
“Hey. You should go to bed,” he said quietly.  
  
“I am in bed,” Kuroo said groggily. “Plenty comfortable.”  
  
“The couch and your bed aren’t the same thing,” Kenma pointed out dryly.  
  
Instead of replying with anything that resembled actual words, Kuroo sprawled out even more, raised his hand, and motioned Kenma over. With a tired sigh, he laid on the open space Kuroo had made for him; the other detective wasted no time at all, and immediately enveloped him in a warm, comfortable embrace.  
  
“See? It’s nice,” Kuroo mumbled against Kenma’s forehead.  
  
“You say it like we haven’t done this a million times before,” Kenma grumbled halfheartedly. Kuroo didn’t answer; he was already fast asleep again, and snoring quietly into Kenma’s hair.  
  
 _Not like I mind this at all, if I’m being honest with myself,_ Kenma thought as he snuggled closer. _It’s... nice. Comfortable. Warm. And I feel... safe._ He smiled to himself as he began to doze off -- because he knew that Kuroo felt the same way.  
  
A long time ago, Kenma would have never imagined that _'safe'_   was a word anyone would associate with him. But over the years of working together, Kuroo had never shown any doubt in his abilities -- and after he’d saved his life on New Year’s, his respect for Kenma had expanded even more.  
  
 _I wonder, though..._ His thoughts were hazy as sleep began to take hold of him. _If he’s still scared of losing me, after what happened..._  
  
Memories of gunfire and the feeling of cold, blood-slick grass came crashing back at the thought, and he felt his entire body go rigid with sudden tension. But even asleep, Kuroo seemed to sense his distress; he pulled him closer, and his lips grazed Kenma’s forehead as he whispered something unintelligible.  
  
He relaxed almost immediately into the comfortable, reassuring intimacy. It was always easier to fall asleep on the couch with Kuroo than it was alone in his own bed, and this time was no exception.

* * *

“Rise and shine.”  
  
Kenma groaned and burrowed deeper into the comfort of the couch. He curled into the warm, soft blanket around his shoulders; Kuroo must have put it on him when he woke up earlier.  
  
“Come on, I’m cooking breakfast. And it’s already seven in the morning.” The cozy warmth vanished as Kuroo suddenly pulled the blanket away; Kenma rolled over and glared at him before he blearily rubbed at his eyes.  
  
“Ugh, fine.” He sat up and stretched for a moment, then stood and yawned as he made his way to the bathroom. He could hear the sounds of Kuroo whistling and something sizzling on the stove, along with the coffee pot’s wet gurgles as he slid the door shut.  
  
He turned the water on and stepped under the spray; almost immediately, he felt much more alert and refreshed. Spurred on by his hunger, he finished quickly and toweled himself dry before brushing his teeth. He wasted no time in going to his room and getting dressed; by the time he was ready, Kuroo had a simple breakfast laid out on the kitchen table, and was sipping at a cup of coffee.  
  
“Smells good,” he said as he sat down and immediately began to eat.  
  
“That’s because it _is_ good,” Kuroo smirked. “You’re welcome.”  
  
Kenma rolled his eyes, and continued to eat as Kuroo checked his emails on his phone. He finished up and drained the last of his coffee before he stood up to do the dishes while Kuroo told him what they’d missed in the office that morning.  
  
“And Bokuto is insisting that I have to go pick up a bunch of reports with Akaashi as soon as we get in. No idea why he’s being so weird about it, though.” He squinted at his phone suspiciously. “He’s probably up to something. He thinks he’s smooth, but he’s about as subtle as a brick.”  
  
“What do you think it is?” Kenma asked as he turned the sink off. “Neither of our birthdays is for a while. And Akaashi’s is even further away than ours.”  
  
An idea wormed its way into Kuroo’s mind, and he narrowed his eyes at his phone as the suspicion began to blossom. “Dunno.”  
  
 _It doesn’t seem that way to me._ “Uh huh,” was all Kenma said, though; he didn’t push it. He quickly tugged on his tie and slung his bag over his shoulder before he grabbed his shoes; Kuroo was right behind him, and locked the door as they left.  
  
 _This better not be about the dating thing,_ Kuroo thought as they made their way down to the lobby. They were both quiet as they walked to the car; Kenma rubbed his eyes with an irritable sigh as he tried to tune out the shrill birdsong nearby. Kuroo tried not to grimace as he started the engine, still wondering what Bokuto was up to; he didn’t want his partner to put the pieces together and get wind of his feelings.  
  
 _‘Course, Bokuto would say I’m an idiot if I think Kenma doesn’t already know._ He turned the radio to the same enka station he’d found the night before, and grinned as Kenma glared at him. A moment later, cheerful pop radiated from the speakers as Kenma fiddled with the dial, and Kuroo smoothly pulled out of the parking lot onto the street.  
  
 _Maybe he does know. He’s sharper than anyone I’ve ever met._ His eyes flickered briefly to his partner as they stopped at a red light; Kenma was reading emails on his phone, and didn’t seem to notice.  
  
 _But if he does, he hasn’t said anything about it, after all these years._ A sense of heavy longing settled onto his heart, familiar in its burden. _And I’m determined not to ruin this. I’ll take what I can get._  
  
Kenma hummed quietly along to the radio as Kuroo drove, and it solidified Kuroo’s resolve.  
  
 _If that means we’re friends forever, then that’s good enough for me._

* * *

“Hey hey heeey, good morning!” Bokuto’s smile was radiant as Kuroo and Kenma walked into the office. “Kuroo! Akaashi’s ready to go grab those reports whenever you are! Oh, maybe get me a melon soda from the machine while you’re near the records office?” he asked sweetly.  
  
Kuroo narrowed his eyes. “Sure.” He put his bag on the long desk in the middle of the room, where Kenma had already opened his laptop and sat down. “Let’s get going, Akaashi.”  
  
The vice-captain of 1st Unit sighed and stood up. “Okay. Sorry about this, Kuroo-san.”  
  
“Don’t worry about it.”  
  
As soon as Akaashi closed the door behind them, Bokuto stood up from the couch and moved over to the desk, where he sat across from Kenma. With a dramatic flare, he put his elbows on the top, and steepled his fingers as he looked at the other detective with a mischievous glint in his eyes.  
  
“...Do you need something?” Kenma asked drily.  
  
“Hey, don’t be such a sourpuss!” Bokuto said defensively. “I just have a special case for you and Kuroo! I’d work it with Akaashi, but we’re all tied up with other stuff right now.”  
  
Kenma narrowed his eyes. “Is that why you had him go downstairs with Akaashi? You didn’t want to tell us at the same time, for some reason.”  
  
“Uh, no? I dunno what you’re talking about!” he said with a forced laugh. “Anyway, it’s totally great! I need you two to go undercover, and get this, it’s on a cruise! How awesome is that, right?!”  
  
Kenma’s face immediately went pale. “...A cruise. How long is it? Why?”  
  
“Three whole days out at sea!” he grinned brightly. “So, we have an art collector, Nanase Michiru, that’s hosting this cruise -- big party sort of thing, y’know, tons of rich people socializing. But someone’s been stealing from her recently, and she thinks they might try to nab some of the stuff she’s gonna show off on the boat.” His smile grew wider. “But what _really_ makes it interesting is that we got an anonymous tip a few days ago... someone says she’s been smuggling weapons and drugs.”  
  
“So you want Kuroo and I to investigate and try to prevent any thefts, but investigate the potential smuggling at the same time.” He took a deep breath, and forced himself to unclench his jaw. “But you said we have to go undercover, and it sounds like you already have identities set up for us too.”  
  
“Bingo!” Bokuto said with obvious excitement.   
  
Kenma felt his patience start to wear thin. “Well, what is it?”  
  
The captain of the unit leaned back in his chair with a satisfied smile.  
  
“You and Kuroo will have to pretend to be married.”

* * *

_to be continued in chapter 2_

 


	2. Chapter 2

Kenma stared at him, completely speechless, and the silence stretched on to an uncomfortable length.  
  
“Are you an idiot?” he finally managed.  
  
“Hey!” Bokuto said defensively. “It’s the most believable thing--”  
  
“Did you forget that men can’t get married to other men in our country?” Kenma asked sarcastically.  
  
Bokuto’s smile came back full force, and a sinking feeling settled into Kenma’s stomach. “Of course I didn’t forget! That’s why you’ll wear a dress! You’re pretty feminine, so -- hey, it’s not a _bad_ thing, don’t glare at me like that.”  
  
“Why can’t Kuroo be the wife?” he asked grumpily.  
  
“Because he’s like 190 centimeters tall, and his jaw could cut diamonds? You two would stand out way more if you were the one in a suit and he had the dress,” Bokuto insisted. “If Kuroo walks onto that boat like that, every single set of eyes is gonna be on him the entire time! You'd stand out way too much! Even Nanase isn’t gonna know who you are -- she knows detectives are gonna be on the boat, but we convinced her they'd be undercover to put her at less risk. So she wouldn't look suspicious interacting with them, y’know?”  
  
Kenma rolled his eyes. “...I guess that’s true.” _I like dresses anyway, but I’m not about to admit that._ “Kuroo’s going to flip out, though. You know that, right?”  
  
“He’ll be fine! It’s not that big of a deal, is it?”  
  
“It is, even if you haven’t put two and two together,” he answered quietly. _He has no idea about the water thing... otherwise he wouldn’t have done this at all._ “Plus, you obviously didn’t want to tell Kuroo right away.” He paused for a moment, and his eyes lit up with a realization. “Or you’re having Akaashi tell him, because he won’t get as mad at him.”  
  
“Damn, I can’t get anything past you,” Bokuto grumbled. “Listen, don’t worry about it! It’s practically a vacation, right? And you’ll get to buy some nice new clothes with the department’s money!”  
  
Kenma sighed in annoyance. “I don’t like boats. But sure, whatever.” He stood up to make himself coffee, and was relieved to turn his back to Bokuto -- he wasn’t sure that he could keep his face completely neutral. _It’s only three days. And we won’t actually be in the water. Plus..._ He took a deep breath, and forced himself to relax as he added coffee to the machine. _All that time close to Kuroo, pretending like we’re married..._  
  
He watched the coffee drip slowly into the pot as his heart began to beat just a little faster.  
  
 _Three days..._ His eyes slipped shut, and he took a deep breath.  
  
 _Sounds amazing, but hard to deal with at the same time. What’s Bokuto getting us into?_

* * *

“A _cruise?”_   Kuroo demanded angrily.  
  
“...Yes?” Akaashi replied with a confused look. “I know Bokuto-san’s being kind of pushy about it, but why are you so upset, Kuroo-san?”  
  
Kuroo pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes as he gripped the melon soda in his hands just a little too tightly. “Sorry, sorry. Bokuto doesn’t even know, it’s just... Kenma.” Akaashi stayed silent, and Kuroo sighed. “He gets... nervous around the ocean, you know? He’s afraid of drowning. Like, _really_ afraid.”  
  
“He’s aquaphobic?” Akaashi asked quietly as they began to walk back to the elevator.  
  
“Yeah, I guess? He almost got washed away by the waves at the beach when we were kids,” he explained. He ran his free hand through his unkempt hair and sighed again as Akaashi pushed the button for their floor, and the elevator doors closed. “And he can’t swim at all. I guess it’ll be fine since we won’t physically be _in_ the water, but he’s still not gonna be happy about it.”  
  
“I’m sorry,” Akaashi said quietly. “Oh... there is one more thing, though.” He looked a little exasperated. “...You have to go undercover. Bokuto-san already has identities set up for both of you.”  
  
Kuroo narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “...And? What’s the catch?”  
  
Akaashi turned his gaze to the doors, unwilling to meet the other detective’s eyes. “You and Kenma will play the role of a rich newlywed couple looking to expand their influence in the art world--”  
  
“ _Newlywed couple?_ Are you _kidding_ me? Dammit, this _was_ about the dating thing, I _knew_ it.” He slumped against the wall and fidgeted with the can in his hands. “This is never gonna work, you know. His little plan to get us together, I mean, since that’s obviously what this is.”  
  
Akaashi studied him quietly for a moment before he spoke. “You seem pretty confident about that. Why?”  
  
“Because Kenma isn’t in love with me?” he replied, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.  
  
Akaashi tilted his head to the side a little. “You sound so sure of it, but... how do you know that?”  
  
“He would’ve said something by now, right?” Kuroo looked away, and the elevator doors opened with a soft _ding_. “We’ve known each other forever, but he’s never said anything--”  
  
“What if he hasn’t said anything for the same reason _you_ haven’t said anything?”  
  
Kuroo stopped, and turned slowly to meet the other detective’s eyes. The silence between them hung heavy and tense as he turned the question over and over in his mind, until he eventually looked away and continued walking towards the office. “I’m just pretty sure, okay? Anyway, let me go give that idiot of yours his soda and a piece of my mind.”  
  
“Sorry,” Akaashi said awkwardly. “He was really set on it. At least it’s only three days, right?”  
  
“Yeah, I guess.” He opened the door, and immediately stalked up to the desk where Bokuto was sitting. “Here’s your drink,” he grinned as he set it in front of him with just a little too much force.  
  
“Uh, thanks? Take it easy,” Bokuto pouted. “I just gave you and Kenma the perfect case, and this is how you thank your beloved captain?”  
  
Kuroo relaxed as Kenma walked over and gently put a hand on his arm. “I’ll be fine. Don’t make a big deal out of it, it’s embarrassing.”  
  
“You sure?”  
  
Kenma nodded in response and sat down at his laptop; Bokuto looked between them curiously. “Did I miss something? What’s the problem?”  
  
“Nothing,” Kenma said without looking up from his screen. “Don’t worry about it.”  
  
Bokuto still looked lost and vaguely upset, until Akaashi sat down beside him with the reports that he’d asked for. “Cheer up, Bokuto-san. Here are the files you needed.”

He took them wordlessly, his eyes still on Kenma and Kuroo. To most people, they’d seem completely nonchalant -- but Bokuto had known them for years, and could tell they were slightly ill at ease.

* * *

“So… you’re gonna have to wear a dress.”  
  
“Three, actually. I can’t wear the same one during the entire cruise,” Kenma said.  
  
The two partners had just arrived at a nearby shop that specialized in evening gowns. It was rather large, and modern in design; Kenma couldn’t help but feel slightly out of place, though they were thankfully the only customers there.  
  
“I’m glad Bokuto called ahead, at least. Trying to figure this out on our own would suck,” Kuroo laughed as he waved at the receptionist. He walked up to the counter with Kenma beside him, and gave the clerk a lazy salute. “Hey there. We’re from Special Investigations; our captain contacted you earlier.”  
  
“Oh, hello, Detectives! Yes, I spoke with him on the phone,” she said with a bright smile as she adjusted the brown bun on her head. “We’ll be selecting three different dresses for Detective Kozume, correct?”  
  
“Yep,” Kuroo grinned. “I’m guessing you won’t need my help for this, right?”  
  
“Well, not really, unless you’d like input on the style of what Detective Kozume would be wearing?” she asked sweetly as she grabbed a roll of measuring tape from a drawer.  
  
Kuroo laughed a little awkwardly and turned away as he took out his phone. “Yeah, no. I’ll leave that up to the both of you.”  
  
“Right this way, Detective,” the clerk said with a smile. Quietly, Kenma followed her lead as she walked over to the fitting rooms in the back of the store. She took a key from her apron and unlocked one of the stalls, then led Kenma inside; he stood there, awkward and obviously uncomfortable. He relaxed a little when she smiled at him; the expression was warm and genuine, and held no judgment.  
  
“You’ll have to get undressed so I can take proper measurements. Or, I could tell you how to do it yourself, if you’d prefer to do it that way?” she asked.  
  
“No, it’s okay. I don’t mind. It’d probably take a lot longer if I did it myself.” Slowly, he took a deep breath and then shrugged off his blazer; he stripped down to his boxers quickly, hoping to get it over with as fast as possible.  
  
The clerk was quick and professional as she took several measurements, and hummed thoughtfully as Kenma began to get dressed again. “All right. I have just the thing in mind!” She turned away and opened the door once Kenma finished, and he followed her over to another section in the store. “You would look _wonderful_ in red,” she gushed as she picked a long gown from a rack. “This is just about your size -- I can tailor it for you as well to fit better… here, let’s get a few more, shall we?”  
  
Kenma nodded in agreement. “Um… I’ll need shoes, too,” he said quietly. “I don’t have anything that would work for this kind of thing.”  
  
“Not to worry,” she smiled, “I’ve got just the thing for that too. Here, try these on, and tell me what you think!”  
  
A couple minutes later, he stood in front of the mirror in the dressing room, and marveled at his reflection.  
  
The dresses the clerk had picked were all the same color -- a vibrant, deep shade of red. They all hugged Kenma’s form, and the hems hovered just over his ankles; this one had a slit that reached all the way to his upper thigh.  
  
“You look _gorgeous_ ,” she beamed. “If you like those, we can get you some shoes and stockings, and I’ll show you how to do some makeup as well!”  
  
“Sure,” he agreed quietly. He looked at his reflection again, and smiled a little.  
  
 _Maybe this won’t be so bad after all._

* * *

“So? All set?” Kuroo asked about two hours later as Kenma walked up to him with several bags in his arms.  
  
“Yeah.” He rubbed sleepily at his eyes and sighed. “We still have to get your suits. I don’t feel like it.”  
  
“Tough luck,” Kuroo grinned. “Too bad I didn’t get to see you in the dresses,” he teased.  
  
Kenma sighed. “You will soon enough anyway, since the cruise is in a few days,” he grumbled sullenly. His eyes fell to the ground as they walked back to the car, and Kuroo watched him thoughtfully.  
  
He stayed silent until they were back in the car with their seatbelts bucked, and looked over at Kenma with obvious concern in his eyes. “...Are you sure you’re gonna be all right on this case?” he asked quietly.  
  
Kenma shrugged, and turned to look out the window. “It’s just a boat. I’ll be fine.”  
  
Kuroo sighed as he started the engine. “Just stick close to me while we’re on the cruise, okay? I’ve got your back.”  
  
Kenma turned to look at him then, and Kuroo felt his heart flutter as a warm and genuine smile spread over his partner’s face. “Yeah. I know.”

* * *

Hours later, they finally made it back to their apartment after getting Kuroo’s clothes and finishing up at the office.  
  
“Ugh, I don’t feel like cooking tonight. Let’s order delivery,” Kuroo said as he plopped down onto the couch. Kenma sat beside him, but didn’t reply; his eyes were unfocused, and he was staring at the floor.  
  
Kuroo inched a little closer to him on the couch, and resisted the urge to touch his arm. “Hey,” he said softly. “Are you _really_ okay with this case? We can probably get Bokuto to reassign it, you know.”  
  
Kenma’s eyes widened a little, and Kuroo could see his breath catch in his throat as he looked over at the taller man. “...Yeah,” he replied, his voice heavy with hesitation. “It’s just a cruise, right? I’m not a coward or anything. You worry too much.”  
  
“I _know_ you’re not a coward.” Kuroo leaned closer, and his willpower failed him as his fingers brushed against Kenma’s forearm. “It’s your bravery that scares me.”  
  
A longing so profound that it actually made his chest ache a little settled over Kenma as he met Kuroo’s eyes, heavy with unabashed affection and concern. Quickly, he looked away, unable to meet his partner’s gaze.   
  
“Sorry,” he whispered. “I know what happened was hard on you. But...” He took a deep breath, and fiddled with the hem of his shirt. “I’d do it again. If you’re in danger, there’s no question about it.” His knuckles went pale with tension as he clenched his hands into fists in his lap. “When I acted on New Year’s, I didn’t even have time to think... it was just a reaction. A reflex. I couldn’t have stopped myself, even if I wanted to.” He turned away a little more, and the next thing he said was so quiet that Kuroo could barely hear it. “...And I’d never want to.”  
  
Before he could even think about stopping himself, Kuroo reached forward and gently cupped Kenma’s chin with his hand; he turned his partner’s face towards him, and when Kenma looked up at him, he saw Kuroo with a rare, unguarded smile, full of adoration.  
  
“I get it,” he said quietly. “As long as you understand that I’d do the same for you.”  
  
Kenma’s heartbeat was too loud in his own ears as he felt a faint heat rise to his cheeks.  
  
“Fair enough.”

* * *

“Been a while since we’ve done surveillance on someone asking for our help,” Kuroo sighed as he parked the car on a quiet side street.  
  
Kenma hummed. “I think... this case could be more complicated than Bokuto is anticipating.” He squinted at the nearby mansion. “He wasn’t kidding about Nanase being rich...”  
  
“Right?” Kuroo agreed. A slow smile spread over his face, and Kenma looked over at him suspiciously. “We’re gonna stick out pretty bad on that cruise, unless we go to some serious lengths to fit in,” he continued in a grave tone of voice.  
  
“Is this going where I think it’s going?” Kenma asked drily.  
  
Kuroo nodded. “I’m afraid so,” he said in mock seriousness. “We’re going to have to... _bleach your hair_...”  
  
Kenma groaned and sank down in his seat. “That’s such a pain. Why can’t we just say I’m making a fashion statement or something?”  
  
“Seven centimeters of roots in bleach-blond hair is a hell of a fashion statement, sure. It screams ‘I’m too lazy to spend half an hour doing my roots more than once or twice a year’,” Kuroo grinned. “Seriously, look at that mansion. You look fine like that, sure, but every set of eyes on that boat is gonna be scrutinizing you to hell and back if we don’t do something about it.”  
  
Kenma’s heart betrayed him with a tiny thrill of anticipation. “Fine. Will you bleach it for me again?”  
  
“I’d say yes, but... we should probably get you to an actual salon this time. The guy with perpetual bedhead from the deepest pits of hell probably shouldn’t be your stylist before a trip with a bunch of people making ten times our salary.” He paused for a moment, then leaned over a bit to playfully ruffle his partner’s hair. “Never fear. We can practice holding hands on the way to the salon to make up for it,” he teased.  
  
Kenma sighed and rolled his eyes. “How hard would it be to hold hands, anyway? It’s pretty self-explanatory.” A tiny smile curved at his lips, and he turned away to look out of the window with a faintly sad look in his eyes. “...Besides, it’s not like we haven’t done that before, anyway.”  
  
Kuroo’s breath caught in his throat; he knew exactly what Kenma was talking about, and his chest ached with a sudden surge of uneasiness. The memory of holding the smaller man’s blood-slick hand on New Year’s Day was still vivid in his mind -- and he was certain that the fear he’d felt, and the doubt about whether or not Kenma would survive the shooting, would keep it unpleasantly fresh in his nightmares for the rest of his life.  
  
“...Well,” he said after a moment, “at least this time it won’t be for such a shitty reason, right?” His smile was just a little forced as Kenma turned back to look at him once more.  
  
“I guess.” He looked down at his knees, and Kuroo recognized it as a sign of embarrassment. “...I appreciated it, though. I mean. It was for a bad reason, but... I liked it.” He looked out of the window again, and his voice went just a little bit quieter. “...It was the last thing I remembered before I passed out that night.”  
  
Kuroo’s breath went just a little ragged; it felt like his heart was in his throat. “Well,” he said a little awkwardly, “glad I could help. Holding your hand is the least I could’ve done after you took four bullets for me, right?”  
  
“Technically, only three of them actually hit me--”  
  
“Yeah, yeah, the fourth one hit your bulletproof vest. Still, that hurts like hell too. You probably just didn’t notice it since you had three gunshot wounds,” Kuroo said with a wry smile. _Should I... nah, it’d be way too obvious. Or, I could use the case as an excuse -- ah, whatever._ He pushed past his hesitation, and reached over to gently grasp Kenma’s hand and twine their fingers together. The other detective’s eyes snapped up to meet his own; his expression was tinged with a mixture of surprise and faintly embarrassed pleasure.   
  
“Better, right? Zero blood and mortal peril this time,” Kuroo said with a warm smile.  
  
Kenma looked down at their interlocked fingers, and then back up at Kuroo before he nodded silently in agreement. Kuroo’s smile grew wider as a rush of warmth flooded his chest; he gently squeezed Kenma’s hand, and settled back into his seat, seemingly as casual as ever.  
  
“All right. Ready to sit here and look at a big house for a few hours? Hey, don’t look too excited,” Kuroo grinned.  
  
Kenma rolled his eyes and looked away to watch the mansion across the street, but Kuroo could see a hint of a smile curve at his lips -- and with Kenma’s hand warm in his own, the stakeout was a lot less boring than he’d anticipated.

* * *

Kenma enjoyed going to the salon about as much as he expected to.  
  
“At least my physical therapist is out of town,” he grumbled as they got back into the car afterwards. His hair was completely blond and styled into a simple half ponytail, and he had a bag full of hair products that he regarded with a fair amount of disdain.  
  
“Why is that a good thing?” Kuroo laughed as he started the engine. “You’ve gotta do your therapy, even if it’s a pain in the ass.”  
  
“Yeah, but at least I don’t have to go to the clinic for it. I can just do it at home this time.” He shrugged nonchalantly and tossed the bag into the backseat, and then reached into the pocket of his vest for his phone. “It’s not like I don’t know how to do them on my own by now.”  
  
“Are you gonna need help, though?” Kuroo asked as he stopped at a red light. “He always spots you and helps you with the stretches.”  
  
Kenma shrugged again, and didn’t look up from his phone. “If you want to help, you can. But if you don’t, that’s fine too.”  
  
 _Like I’d really say no._ “I don’t mind. Besides, if I leave you to your own devices, there’s a bigger chance of you slacking off,” Kuroo grinned. Kenma glared at him, and he replied by winking just before the light changed color. “I’ll help you. Therapy first, then videogames while I make dinner.”  
  
“What are you making tonight?” Kenma asked with obvious interest.  
  
Kuroo didn’t even bother trying to hide his smile. “Salted grilled mackerel pike, and apple pie for dessert.” He didn’t even have to look at Kenma to know that his partner’s eyes had lit up with happiness. “Might as well treat ourselves with our favorite food tonight, right?”  _And enjoy the normalcy for as long as we can._ He turned his attention back to the road, and felt a mixture of excitement and unease when he thought of the case. _This could go really well... or make things really weird._  
  
 _Guess we’ll wait and see._

* * *

_I feel a little weird, knowing that I’m actually looking forward to this... I like it when he’s close to me._  
  
Kenma was in his room, and had just finished changing into his pajamas. He stopped for a moment when he caught his reflection in the small mirror beside his desk, and looked down guiltily at the hand that Kuroo had held during the stakeout the day before.  
  
 _I wonder if he liked that as much as I did... I wonder if it meant as much to him as it did to me._ He curled his fingers into a loose fist, and felt his stomach twist with a faint hint of guilt. _I know how I feel. I know he wouldn’t think it’s gross, if nothing else. So why haven’t I been able to tell him?_   He looked up at his reflection in the mirror, and found the answer in his own eyes.  
  
 _I guess I’m afraid of hearing him say no._  
  
“Hey, you didn’t fall asleep in there, did you?” Kenma jumped a little in surprise as Kuroo poked his head into the room with a grin. “C’mon, let’s do the stretches and stuff in the living room. I’m ready whenever you are.”  
  
He was gone as quickly as he’d appeared, and Kenma was left alone in his room once again.  
  
 _I don’t think he’d hate me or anything, but I... I don’t want to lose this closeness. I don’t want to risk it._ He took a deep breath, and looked into the mirror one more time before he turned away. _Maybe I’ll get over it eventually, anyway._  
  
He wished it didn’t sound like such a blatant lie.

* * *

Kenma fidgeted a little as he stood in front of the couch; with a deep sigh, he peeled off the loose t-shirt he’d put on just moments before.  
  
He wasn’t quite as fit as Kuroo was; his build was more slender and lean, sleek muscles packed onto a smaller, almost petite frame. And even though they’d known each other for most of their lives, Kuroo always found it incredibly difficult to look away -- so he was glad for any excuse not to.  
  
His eyes followed Kenma’s motions as the smaller detective stretched his arms over his head, before he relaxed into a normal standing position. “Well... you know the general routine, right? And what the doctor does?”  
  
“Yeah.” He stepped closer, and put a steadying hand on Kenma’s lower back as Kenma placed his left hand over his right shoulder. Slowly, he began to flex his arm upward; Kuroo placed his other hand under Kenma’s right elbow as support, and let his eyes wander.  
  
Three scars. It wasn’t the first time he’d seen them; far from it. But he hadn’t often been this close, and they still entranced him even now. Kenma faltered for a moment as he realized that Kuroo was staring, and stopped stretching just as Kuroo’s fingertips grazed over the sensitive skin of his shoulder.  
  
“Does it still hurt?” he asked quietly.  
  
“...Not really. They just ache sometimes.” He shivered as Kuroo’s fingers continued to trail over the scar on his shoulder. “And they’re... sensitive.”  
  
“Oh?” A hint of a playful smirk tugged at Kuroo’s lips, out of habit more than anything -- but it quickly faded into a thoughtful expression as he continued to touch the slightly discolored skin. “Do these bother you?”  
  
“Not really. I don’t care if I have scars... it’s not like anyone will see them aside from you and the doctors anyway.” He shifted a little restlessly, and closed his eyes as Kuroo’s other hand touched the mark on his left arm.  
  
“I still can’t believe you were willing to die for me,” he whispered.  
  
Kenma turned in his arms then, and Kuroo found himself face to face with his partner.  
  
“Why not?” he asked quietly.  
  
Faced with the question and with Kenma so close with a distinct lack of clothing on his upper body, Kuroo felt his mouth go just a little dry. Without even thinking about it, he reached forward to gently trail his fingertips over the bullet scar that marred Kenma’s lower abdomen. “I don’t know,” he whispered eventually. “It’s touching, you know? But scary as hell, too.” His touch became more firm, and Kenma could feel a slight tremor in the fingers against his skin. “I don’t wanna lose you.”  
  
“I don’t want to lose you, either.” His heart was too loud in his ears -- _he’s touching me... it feels so good, this is so intimate_ \-- “That’s why I did it. And I’d do it again, and I wouldn’t have any regrets, no matter what happened to me. As long as it meant I saved you.”  
  
“What if I said I don’t want you to save me?” Kuroo said.  
  
Kenma’s eyes didn’t look away. “Too bad.”  
  
A rueful smile spread over Kuroo’s face, and he leaned forward to wrap his arms around Kenma before he could think better of it. “All right,” he whispered, his breath a tickle against the smaller man’s ear, “as long as you know this goes both ways.”  
  
A thrill of excitement and fear rushed through Kenma’s heart, and left him breathless. “Do you mean that you’d...”  
  
“Yeah,” Kuroo smiled, “don’t ever doubt it.”

* * *

_> hey!! i have some advice for your case, ok?!_  
  
Kuroo glanced at the message from Bokuto with nothing but suspicion.  
  
 _> uh huh. and what would that be, o wisest of captains?_  
  
He poked at the mackerel that he was cooking as he waited for Bokuto’s response, and a few moments later, his phone vibrated with more incoming texts.  
  
 _> listen! you and kenma have to really perform for your roles ok!!_  
 _> if you just act like friends the whole time, nobody will buy your stories_  
  
Kuroo sighed, and rolled his eyes.  
  
 _> wow i wonder if you could be any more obvious. you’re not subtle at all_  
 _> we’ll figure it out once we go undercover, give me a break_  
  
But that wasn’t enough for Bokuto. The mackerel sizzled in the pan as his phone vibrated once more.  
  
 _> look i’m just saying! maybe you might wanna practice, yknow?!_  
  
Kuroo flipped his phone closed and slid it across the counter, determined not to look at it until he’d finished cooking dinner. _Kenma would see right through that... I could never get away with it._ _And I definitely don _’t_ wanna pressure him into anything he wouldn _’t_ be okay with._  
  
He turned the stove off, and stared blankly at his dinner for a moment.  
  
 _...But I wonder if he’d actually be willing..._

* * *

The music of Dragon Quest VIII’s title screen had been playing on a loop for almost five minutes as Kenma sat on the couch and stared aimlessly into space.

 _If it meant being that close to Kuroo all the time, I’d never want to go back to the doctor for therapy again._ He was startled from his thoughts, and the memory of Kuroo’s warm hands against his skin, when his phone vibrated in his shirt pocket -- it was a text from Akaashi.  
  
 _> I’m sorry to bother you. I was wondering if I could ask you a personal question._  
  
He read the message once, then twice, and then a third time. _I have a feeling I know what this is about..._  
  
 _> Sure._  
  
Akaashi didn’t reply for almost a full two minutes. The longer it took, the more suspicious Kenma got; what was taking him so long? Was he trying to figure out how to phrase whatever he was going to ask? Finally, his phone lit up with another incoming message -- but as soon as he read it, he felt his heart nearly stop.  
  
 _> Are you in love with Kuroo-san?_  
  
He didn’t reply right away, but several more texts from Akaashi quickly followed the first.  
  
 _> I’m sorry. You’ve been friends with him for years, so it’s not really my place to say anything..._  
 _> But I think he might feel more deeply for you than you realize._  
 _> Maybe this case could be a catalyst for something._  
  
Kenma glanced over to the kitchen for a moment, where Kuroo was singing softly to himself as he cooked dinner. A small smile spread over Kenma’s face as he looked back to his phone, and typed out a reply.  
  
 _> Maybe. I guess we’ll find out_.

* * *

“Hey hey heeey! Two more days until the cruise!” Bokuto beamed as Kuroo and Kenma walked into the office. “Akaashi and I got some new leads for you on the case! Are you excited?!”  
  
“Thrilled beyond belief,” Kuroo replied sarcastically as he sat down and kicked his feet up onto the desk. Yaku glared at him, but Kuroo just grinned back.  
  
“Here. I made coffee for you,” Akaashi said as he placed two mugs beside Kuroo and Kenma. “As always, I’m sorry about Bokuto-san.”  
  
“Hey!” Bokuto said defensively. “There’s nothing to be sorry about!” He tossed a file beside the mugs on the desk, and crossed his arms with a triumphant smile. “Just some interesting data on the hostess of the cruise, and reports on her spending and guests!”  
  
“How exciting,” Kuroo said dryly. He opened the file, though, and began diligently scanning over the information. “Anything in particular stand out?”  
  
Akaashi nodded. “Something doesn’t seem right. Inviting detectives onto her cruise doesn’t make much sense if she’s been smuggling recently... it doesn’t add up.” He walked over, and pointed to a specific section on the page that Kuroo was reading. “Especially when you take this into consideration.”  
  
Kuroo squinted at the paper. “...The artist of a painting she bought recently has never sold her work?”  
  
“So it’s stolen?” Kenma said, as he touched his chin in thought. “That’s so obvious, though... Or maybe she doesn’t know that.”  
  
“It’s possible that the smuggling accusations are totally baseless. And she could’ve bought the painting from someone else that stole it.”  
  
“Bokuto-san and I will continue data gathering, even once you both board the cruise. We’ll be in constant communication, of course.” Akaashi watched them with a considering look in his eyes. “...Are you both ready?”  
  
“Sure”, Kuroo answered with his signature grin, as he ignored the vague unease in his heart, “why wouldn’t we be?”

* * *

That night, the air between them felt just a little different as they walked back into the apartment.  
  
“Kuro.” Kenma set his bag down on the floor beside the couch, and felt his palms go clammy with sweat despite his steady voice. _Am I really going to do this? He won’t buy it -- he’ll see right through me --_ “About the case...”  
  
His partner plopped down on the couch, and reclined gracefully as he put his arms behind his head. “Yeah? What’s up?”  
  
Kenma didn’t sit down, and had to resist the urge to twist his fingers nervously in his hands. “About us having to pretend to be a newlywed couple...”  
  
Something flashed in Kuroo’s eyes, then; a guarded look mixed with curiosity. “Oh, that whole thing. What about it?” A teasing smirk spread over his face. “Worried since almost all of your extremely limited dating experience is from otome games?”  
  
“Like you’re one to talk,” Kenma grumbled irritably.   
  
Kuroo’s smile grew wider. “Oh? Is that a yes?”  
  
Kenma glared at him. “I’m just... concerned. Since we’d have to make it look genuine, and we’ve always studied up on stuff before going undercover before... I was wondering what you thought we should do.”  
  
A curious, almost hopeful look settled into Kuroo’s dark eyes. “You look like you have a suggestion. You’re the brain of the unit, right? What do you think?”  
  
He shifted his weight from one foot to the other; Kuroo didn’t miss the tiny, anxious movement. “We could practice, I guess. Just a little, so we don’t look suspicious on the cruise.”  
  
Kuroo felt his throat go dry. _Holy shit! Am I dreaming? Did he really just -- that sounds like the flimsiest excuse in the world. Damn, maybe Akaashi was right? Maybe --_ “Practice _what_ , exactly?” he asked teasingly as he stood up slowly.  
  
A blush crept up onto Kenma’s cheeks as he stepped closer to Kuroo. “I dunno. Stuff newlyweds do?” He shrugged, and looked away. “Hold hands, I guess? Hug? That sort of thing.”  
  
“I mean, we’ve done both of those before. But I guess not in a way that a couple would, huh?” Kuroo asked with a small smile. “Not that I’m complaining about the idea.” Slowly, he reached his left hand over; after one last moment of hesitation, he gently touched Kenma’s arm.  
  
Carefully, Kenma reached up to thread his fingers into Kuroo’s, and took another step closer; he hesitated for a moment, and then rested his cheek against Kuroo’s chest. _He’s so warm, and he smells so good..._ He felt his cheeks grow warmer as the hand Kuroo had on his arm drifted down to rest on his lower back.  
  
“Is this okay?” he asked quietly.  
  
“Yeah...” Kenma’s heart was in his throat; his eyes slipped shut in bliss. _I could get used to this way too easily..._ “This is good, right?”  
  
“Yeah. You’re... you’re doing great.” Kuroo’s voice sounded just a little raw, and Kenma looked up; their eyes met, and Kuroo felt his heart speed up so much that it left him dizzy as Kenma stood on his tiptoes and drew closer to his face.  
  
“We’ll have to do this too... right?” Kenma whispered, just a little unsure. His breath ghosted over Kuroo’s face, gentle and warm. “Is that... okay?”  
  
Kuroo didn’t trust himself to speak, so he just nodded once. Kenma’s eyes fell to his lips, and he closed the remaining distance between them in one fast motion.  
  
The kiss was quick and chaste; Kuroo barely had time to register the feeling, but it was like a shock to his system all the same. For a moment, Kenma looked away, clearly flustered; a vivid blush spilled over his cheeks and neck, all the way to the dip in his collarbone. “That was... that was good, right?”  
  
“Great,” Kuroo choked out quietly. “Yeah. It was great. Good practice.”  
  
Kenma took a deep, shuddering breath and stepped back, still unable to meet his partner’s eyes. “Okay. So... I guess we should get dinner, then.”  
  
“I’ll cook,” Kuroo said immediately. He walked quickly to the kitchen without another word, his face still burning with embarrassment.  
  
Kenma sat on the couch, dazed and lost as he stared down at his hands. _It feels so good, but... it hurts at the same time._ He closed his eyes and leaned back as he took another deep breath to calm himself down.  
  
 _I love him. I wish I didn’t, but I really, really do._

* * *

“I can’t believe he’s afraid of water!” Bokuto groaned as he pulled a pillow over his head. “He doesn’t even know how to swim! I’m such an _idiot_ , I thought this plan would be _perfect_ \--”  
  
“You’re not an idiot, even if this was a bit rash,” Akaashi said reassuringly as he pulled the pillow off of Bokuto’s face. He wrapped an arm around his waist, and pulled him close. “It’ll be fine. We’ll stay in close communication with them. Even if anything does go wrong, it’s not like they’d be difficult to reach.”  
  
Bokuto was quiet for a moment as he stared sullenly at the wall. “Yeah, I know,” he mumbled eventually. “But I really want this plan to work! And I don’t know if it will, if Kenma’s trying not to puke the whole time!”  
  
“It’ll work out,” Akaashi reasoned. “Right now, the best thing we can do is support them until the case is finished.”  
  
Bokuto turned around to face Akaashi, and smiled despite his grumpiness. “Yeah... you’re right, Keiji! Okay!” He came closer, and nuzzled against Akaashi’s neck with a warm, happy laugh. “I’m sure it’s all gonna be just fine!”

* * *

The morning of the cruise, Kenma spent an hour and a half in the bathroom.  
  
Kuroo knocked on the door as he adjusted his dark red tie; he was in a three piece suit that cost about four times as much as the ones he usually wore for work. “Hey, you didn’t fall asleep, did you? We’ve gotta get going soon.”  
  
“Yeah, yeah,” Kenma grumbled back. “I’m just worried about the makeup... I know I practiced, but still...”  
  
“I’m sure you look fine. Come on, I’ve got our bags ready at the door.”  
  
“Okay...” He opened the door and stepped out, but looked away, unable to meet Kuroo’s eyes. “So, is it okay? I think I got pretty close to what I was aiming for...”  
  
As soon as he saw him, Kuroo felt his mouth go dry again; he was completely speechless. Kenma was in a gorgeous red dress and heels, with black thigh highs peeking through the slit on the side -- and his makeup was absolutely perfect.  
  
“Holy shit,” Kuroo whispered. “Uh. Wow. Yeah, I’d say you’re a solid 11/10. You’ve got nothing to worry about.” He grinned, then, with some of his usual cavalier attitude. “I’m gonna be the luckiest guy on the whole cruise.”  
  
Kenma glared at him, and fidgeted with the ring on his left hand. “Whatever. Let’s go already.”  
  
With a grin, Kuroo picked up both of their bags in one hand and opened the door. “After you, darling.”

* * *

Kuroo shut the engine off as he parked the car, and looked over at Kenma quietly.  
  
“Weapons ready? Everything good?”  
  
Kenma nodded. “I’ve got all four knives on me. No need to worry.”  
  
“Yeah. I’d still feel better if you could hide a gun on you, though.” _Not that he’ll need it, but after what happened, I just..._ He shook his head, got out of the car and grabbed their bags from the back seat; his phone vibrated in his pocket, and he flipped it open. “Bokuto and Akaashi are waiting for us at the pier.”  
  
Kenma took a deep breath. “Okay.”  
  
“You sure you’re gonna be all right?” Kuroo asked quietly.  
  
“Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry so much.” He linked his arm through Kuroo’s, and took a deep, calming breath. “I’m ready. Let’s go.”  
  
Kuroo grinned, and tightened his grip on the bags. “Sure thing, sweetie.” Kenma’s answering sigh of exasperation made him laugh, and for just a moment, he forgot all his worries about being out at sea.  
  
 _Maybe this case won’t be so bad after all._

* * *

_to be continued in chapter 3_

 


	3. Chapter 3

“Hey hey heeey!”  
  
Akaashi promptly elbowed Bokuto in the side, and the captain lowered the hand he’d been using to wave at Kuroo and Kenma with a pout. “What was that for?!”  
  
“Please don’t draw unnecessary attention to us. We don’t want them to stand out too much before they’ve even boarded,” he whispered a little harshly.  
  
Kuroo grinned and gave them a lazy salute; Kenma looked away, clearly embarrassed as Bokuto’s eyes widened when he caught sight of him.  
  
“Damn! You look amazing, Kenm-- uh, Akane-kun!” Bokuto wilted a bit when Akaashi glared at him for the slip-up, but immediately continued talking. “Nice, uh, everything!”  
  
“I know, right?” Kuroo grinned. He leaned down to press a quick kiss against the side of Kenma’s head, and felt his stomach swoop with emotion, even as he kept up his carefree facade. “She’s a hell of a catch.”  
  
“Don’t be so embarrassing, _Takaya_ ,” Kenma said with his best glare. The expression couldn’t hide the faint pink on his cheeks, though; he looked away, but not quickly enough to keep Kuroo from seeing his blush.  
  
“All right, lovebirds,” Bokuto interrupted with a bright smile, “you should go on and board! They’ll be leaving pretty soon! You’ve got all of your, um, internet stuff set up, right?”  
  
Kuroo rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, it’s all taken care of. We’ll talk to you through our messenger client every day.” He waved at him teasingly, and pulled Kenma along. “Don’t miss us too much.”  
  
Akaashi and Bokuto waved at them and watched them go; Kenma kept his arm looped through Kuroo’s as they carefully walked towards the ramp leading up to the boat with the other guests. The boat itself was absolutely huge -- the picture of luxury.  
  
And the closer they got, the more tightly Kenma began to hold on to Kuroo’s arm.  
  
His eyes widened a little, and he focused on the gently rolling waters of the ocean with a feeling of dread. Kuroo glanced down at him, and drew him closer as he bent down to whisper into his ear. “I’m right here with you,” he said gently. “Stay close to me, okay?”  
  
Kenma nodded wordlessly; his grip tightened even more as they finally got to the beginning of the ramp. A guard checking ID stopped them by holding his hand up, and with a grin, Kuroo dropped the bags in his free arm so he could take out his fake ID from his coat with a flourish.  
  
“Sato Takaya, and this is my lovely wife,” he smiled. The guard looked down at his clipboard of names with disinterest, and casually waved them forward to continue onto the deck. Kuroo picked the bags back up, but slowed his pace even more as they began to carefully make their way up the ramp and over the water -- but surprisingly, Kenma’s grip actually began to loosen.  
  
“...Hey, are you--”  
  
“Don’t worry,” Kenma said reassuringly. “We’re not... actually in the water. So it’s not that bad... just a little unnerving, I guess.” He took a deep breath as they took their first step onto the deck of the ship, and forced himself to relax a little. “It’s not that bad. I’m fine.”  
  
Kuroo nodded, but the concern didn’t entirely fade from his eyes. “All right. Let’s find our room, then. Good call memorizing the map before we boarded, by the way.”  
  
They played the role of a curious couple well as they dodged and weaved through the other guests loitering about, and took in their surroundings as much as they could without looking too suspicious. Before too long, they reached an ornate door that led deeper into the ship; Kenma reached forward and pulled it open, with relief visible on his face.  
  
 _I bet he’s happy that he doesn’t have to look at the water right now._ “You know what they say, right? Goddesses first,” Kuroo grinned.  
  
Kenma gave him a sour look. “Nobody says that. Aren’t you laying it on a little thick?”  
  
“No way. I’m being totally sincere,” he promised as they began to walk down the stairs. “You really are absolutely gorgeous. For real.”  
  
 _I guess I should play along, and be a little nicer, even if he doesn’t actually mean it... we are undercover, after all._ “Thank you... darling,” Kenma replied, the words heavy and awkward on his tongue. “You look great, too. You always do.”  
  
Kuroo smiled back at him as they passed another couple opening the door to one of the first guest suites; the expression on his face was warm, and oddly genuine for someone who was simply pretending. _It’s really too easy to get into these roles. Probably because I’m not really faking all that much, I guess..._ “Well, that means a lot to me. Your opinion matters more to me than anyone else’s, after all.”  
  
He made a show of opening his phone to check their reservation info, even though he knew exactly where they were going. “Oh, looks like we’re almost there. Just one more floor down -- we’re in suit 214.”  
  
Kenma held on to his arm a little more tightly as they passed by several more people; at the end of the long corridor, they found yet another door leading to the next staircase down. “I wonder if we can meet Nanase-san soon,” he said conversationally. “She has such incredible presence, even in her online photos, don’t you think?”  
  
“Very true!” Kuroo agreed with a boisterous laugh. Kenma tried not to frown; to anyone else, it would sound genuine. But he’d been by Kuroo’s side for twenty years -- the facade he wore made Kenma just the slightest bit uneasy. _I like him better when he isn't acting,_ he thought to himself. “I can’t wait to see some of the pieces she’s collected recently,” Kuroo continued. “We can learn so much about art and the world of collecting from this trip, I’m sure of it.”   
  
He leaned closer to Kenma as they made their way down the second set of stairs; finally, they stood in front of a door with a shiny golden plaque engraved with the number 214. “Here we are!” Kuroo said with a bright smile as he set their bags on the floor. “Let’s see, I just need the keycard they sent us... Ah, here we go.” He pulled it from his breast pocket with a flourish and a wink, and slid it into the lock in the door; a moment later, it beeped and flashed a green light.  
  
Kuroo pushed the door open with his foot as he grabbed their luggage; Kenma followed him into the room, instantly more relaxed than he’d been a moment before as he closed and locked the door behind him.  
  
“I’m already exhausted,” he complained.  
  
“Normally I’d tell you to suck it up, but you have to walk in high heels. So I do feel kinda bad for you,” Kuroo said with a grin. “Even though you are drop-dead gorgeous.”  
  
Kenma rolled his eyes and flopped down onto the gigantic bed in the center of the room. “We’re not in public right now, so you don’t have to compliment me all the time.”  
  
“Yeah, I guess,” Kuroo said with a cheeky smile. _Gotta stay cool. I mean, maybe there’s a chance that Akaashi was right, but... No. I don’t wanna risk it, do I?_ “Hey, do you wanna stay in here until the ship actually sets sail? Might be a little less weird for you than being up top when they take off.”  
  
A moment passed by quietly as Kenma considered his answer. “...That’s probably for the best.” His eyes slipped shut as he took a deep breath. “I think... seeing the land get further away while we’re on the water would be too much like...”  
  
“I know,” Kuroo said gently. _Too much like what happened when we were kids._ “No big deal. They should be setting out in like, what. Ten minutes? Fifteen, tops. We can head back up in an hour or so and do our little social butterfly act when we’re further out in the ocean.”  
  
Kenma nodded in agreement, just as Kuroo unzipped one of the travel bags to hand his partner a laptop. “There you go. Might as well get your fill of the internet while we’re not on duty, right?”  
  
“Yeah. I could play something while we wait.” He dug through some of his files as Kuroo sat beside him; as always, he seemed to completely forget the meaning of personal space.  
  
Not that Kenma particularly minded -- quite the opposite, in fact. He did his best to ignore the swooping, warm feeling in his chest as he booted up an old adventure game -- but as Kuroo leaned in closer to get a better look at the screen, it only seemed to intensify.  
  
 _I guess I might as well enjoy this case while I have the chance... Even if it is in the middle of the sea._ Kuroo was so close that Kenma could pick up the earthy scent of his cologne; he took a deep breath, and began to navigate through a puzzle in his game while he tried to forget about the ocean that surrounded them.

* * *

Kenma could swear that he felt the exact moment that the ship set sail.  
  
Tension and nausea rippled through him, almost like a reflex -- but he hardly had time to process it before Kuroo gently wrapped an arm around his shoulders to hold him close.  
  
“You okay?” he asked gently. “Do you want some of those motion sickness pills the Chief gave us?”  
  
Kenma shook his head. “No, I’m fine. Just... I’m fine,” he insisted quietly. “It’s more unnerving than anything. Sorry.”  
  
“Nah, you don’t need to apologize, don’t worry about it.” Kuroo scooted closer; Kenma could feel himself starting to relax as he rested his face against Kuroo’s chest, careful not to smudge his makeup.  
  
They stayed there like that for a while, silent and enjoying the warmth and closeness of one another as the ship slowly moved further and further away from land. With Kuroo’s arms around him, Kenma was able to forget his worries for just a little while... and it gave him more of a chance to enjoy the intimacy that he’d convinced himself would never be permanent.

* * *

Kuroo glanced at his wristwatch with a sense of reluctance. “All right, we should be relatively far out by now, since it’s been about 45 minutes.” His hand was a solid weight against Kenma’s back. “Think you’re good to go? People are probably starting to mingle by now.”  
  
“If I say no, can we just stay here the entire trip?” Kenma mumbled against his chest.  
  
Kuroo laughed as he gently hugged him, and resisted the urge to ruffle his hair. “Sorry, not an option. C’mon, let’s get going.” He stood up and held out a hand to his partner; Kenma took it with no hesitation, and slowly got to his feet.  
  
“We’re doing whatever we can to finish this mission, right?” Kenma asked quietly. “I mean. That’s fine, right? It won’t make you uncomfortable...?”  
  
Kuroo felt a mixture of guilt and pain as he forced another smile onto his face. _I’m glad to have the excuse, if I’m being honest with myself._ “You mean all the couple stuff? Nah, I don’t mind. What about you?”  
  
“It doesn’t bother me at all,” Kenma said with a shrug. He felt his heart clench with anticipation and vague sadness. _It’ll hurt when it’s over, but at least I can enjoy the rest of this trip without being worried about weirding him out, I guess..._ “We can go as far as we need to for the case. I don’t really care.”  
  
“Sounds good to me,” Kuroo replied casually. “Then let’s be on our way.”

* * *

By the time they got back up to the deck, most of the guests had already begun to chat and eat in anticipation of the three day long party finally starting. People dressed in absurdly expensive clothing were everywhere, and Kenma smiled to himself as he walked to the other end of the area with Kuroo. When he was younger, being in such a high-class crowd would have intimidated him -- but now, he was more confident, even if he was still very quiet.  
  
Plus, he was pretty sure he looked just as good as Kuroo said he did. That certainly didn’t hurt.  
  
Standing at a podium nearby was a tall, gorgeous woman with long, dark hair wearing an ornate green and gold dress, flanked by several tall, well-built bodyguards in suits. As Kuroo and Kenma came to a stop in the crowd that had gathered, the woman checked her microphone on the stand in front of her, and then gave everyone a dazzling smile.  
  
“Hello, everyone, and welcome aboard my personal ship. I’m Nanase Michiru, as you know. Tomorrow, I’ll be showing you several pieces of art in my collection, as well as giving a talk about art history and various painters in both classic and modern media. But for tonight, please, enjoy the cuisine and the ocean air!”  
  
A round of applause sounded from the audience; Kuroo and Kenma played along and clapped as well, as Nanase stepped down after waving at the guests. As she passed by them, Kuroo waved at her with an excited smile. “Nanase-san! Nanase-san, may I please speak with you for a few moments, if you don’t mind?”  
  
With a musical laugh, she walked over to where the partners were standing; her bodyguards stayed close by, while trying to look casual and disinterested. Kuroo and Kenma weren’t fooled -- they knew that the men behind her were likely hyper-aware of everything going on around them.  
  
“Why, hello there,” Nanase smiled. “And who might you be?”  
  
Kuroo’s smile was bright with false enthusiasm as he reached out to shake her hand. “I’m Sato Takaya, and this is my wife, Akane. It’s truly such a pleasure to meet you!”  
  
“Likewise!” she beamed. “Forgive me, but I’ve been so busy that I’m afraid I don’t remember you. What brings you to this event?”  
  
“No worries, Nanase-san! We spoke briefly over email; Akane and I are relatively new to the world of art, and we’re hoping to learn as much as we can on this trip, and perhaps make a few friends and connections if possible,” Kuroo replied easily. “This is the first time we’ve met in person, but we’ve heard so much about you!”  
  
“Oh, wonderful! I’d love to chat some more later, if you don’t mind; I do have some things to take care of at the moment, unfortunately.”  
  
“That would be wonderful. We understand,” Kenma said calmly. “Thank you for your time, Nanase-san.”  
  
“Absolutely. Do take care, and enjoy the night!” She gave Kenma a friendly wave before she walked away, and promptly vanished into the crowd of people.  
  
“She was lovely,” Kenma said to Kuroo. “Don’t you think so, Takaya?”  
  
“Certainly! But not as lovely as you, darling,” he said fondly. “Oh, would you like to try some of the food? I’m rather famished...”  
  
 _He slips into his roles so easily... It’s almost kind of funny,_ Kenma thought with a small smile. “Sure,” he chuckled. “That sounds wonderful.”  
  
They moved to a nearby table piled high with various snacks; as Kuroo made them a plate, a waiter balancing a tray of drinks approached Kenma and held out a long, clear glass with sparkling liquid. “Hello, miss. Would you and your companion like some champagne this evening?”  
  
“Yes, please,” Kenma said politely as he took the glass with a small bow.  
  
“Here you go, then.” He handed him a second one and bowed slightly before walking away. When Kenma turned, he noticed that Kuroo had finished piling their plate high with food.  
  
“Champagne, hmm? So early in the afternoon!” Kuroo smiled. “Well, this is a vacation of sorts; nothing wrong with that. Would you like to find somewhere to sit?”  
  
Kenma nodded his agreement. “Yes, darling. Maybe we can dance a little later? I can see a band setting up just over there...”  
  
“Of course! There’s going to be music on the third level, too. Did you know they have a ballroom there?” he asked. “Not a full size one, like the last party we went too, but still extravagant, especially for a cruise.” He smoothly dodged an elderly couple and took a seat on a chair under a small umbrella near the middle of the deck; Kenma took the chair beside him, and handed him one of the glasses of champagne as Kuroo balanced the tray on his lap. “Though... I’d certainly like to dance with you under the stars as well, once it gets a bit darker,” Kuroo added with a smile.  
  
Kenma felt his breath catch in his throat a little, and the faint blush on his cheeks, along with the tiny smile on his cherry lips, were both completely genuine -- but he wasn’t as flustered as he normally would’ve been, comfortable in the idea that Kuroo would probably think his reactions were just part of his undercover facade. “I’d like that a lot,” he agreed a little shyly.  
  
Kuroo watched him closely as he took a sip of his drink, and felt a rush of warmth in his chest. _He’s seriously so beautiful, what the hell... I mean, he’s always been really, really cute, but. Wow. But I guess we agreed we don’t have to hold back, right? So I can actually tell him how I feel with no risk..._ “You know...” he said quietly, as Kenma watched him over the rim of his own glass, “you really are the most gorgeous person on this entire cruise. Probably even in the world, really. Nobody else can compare to you, as far as I’m concerned.”  
  
“Oh, come _on_ ,” Kenma whispered as his cheeks turned bright red again. “Well... you look really good, too. Even if you are embarrassing.”  
  
Kuroo’s smile was slow and _way too hot_ , Kenma’s mind supplied unhelpfully; the smaller detective felt his stomach flip as he took in every detail of the familiar and frustratingly attractive expression. “Is that so?”  
  
“Are you fishing for compliments?” Kenma asked with a teasing glint in his eye. “Well, to be blunt, you _are_ pretty hot.” Kuroo’s eyes widened a little, and Kenma felt his own smile grow a fraction larger. “...although, it _is_ strange to see you when your hair isn’t a total wreck.”  
  
Kuroo put a hand over his heart in mock offense. “Why, I never! That’s so rude, and yet somehow totally expected.”  
  
“I’m just saying, most people don’t have to empty half a jar of gel onto their head in a single morning,” Kenma replied with a serene smile.  
  
Kuroo leaned into him as he laughed, though he was careful not to spill his champagne. He ducked down to whisper into Kenma’s ear, and his lips brushed gently against his skin as he spoke. “You really think I look good with my hair like this?”

Kenma shivered a little from the touch. “...You always look good,” he replied honestly.  
  
A faint pink spilled over Kuroo’s cheeks as he glanced away in embarrassment, and took another sip of his drink. “Well, I could say the same thing to you.”  
  
They were quiet for a while after that; they ate their food and drank their too-expensive champagne while they casually watched their surroundings, and enjoyed one another’s company at the same time. Before long, the sky began to steadily change color and deepen into dusk as time wore on.  
  
“Do you want to go look out at the water?” Kenma asked suddenly.  
  
Kuroo looked over at him, clearly surprised. “At the railing? ...Are you sure?”  
  
“Yeah. Come on, you worry too much. It doesn’t weird me out really bad unless I actually go underwater,” he said quietly. “It’ll be nice.”  
  
He stood up, and placed his glass on the seat before he walked away; Kuroo did the same, and followed after him as Kenma reached the railing nearby. His small hands gripped the cool metal as he took a deep breath and looked out over the water; a moment later, he gasped quietly in surprise as Kuroo gently slid his arms around his waist from behind.  
  
“Last place I ever really imagined us at,” he whispered, his lips gently brushing the top of Kenma’s hair as he spoke.  
  
“Yeah...” Kenma agreed. “...This is pretty nice, though.” He paused for a moment in thought. “I really like it, actually. Even in videogames, I really like underwater levels, and stuff like that... it’s  kind of fascinating, I guess. Maybe because it’s a place I can never go.” His eyes scanned the horizon as he spoke. “Even with diving gear, or anything like that... I don’t think I could actually do it.”  
  
Kuroo held him just a little more tightly. “Makes sense to me. I was kind of mad at first, but I guess that big goofball back home has some pretty good ideas sometimes, even if you do have to wear all this stuff.”  
  
Kenma huffed out a dry, quiet laugh. “You’re so overprotective. And I thought you said I looked nice.”  
  
“Oh, you definitely do, don’t get me wrong. I just figure you have to think it’s kind of a pain in the ass to put all of that on, especially considering the fact that you usually can’t even be bothered to bleach your hair more than once or twice a year.”  
  
Kenma smiled a bit as he looked out at the gently rolling waves. “Yeah, that’s true. But to be honest... I do like wearing it. I wouldn’t do this all the time; it’d be really annoying, and I wouldn’t usually have a reason to anyway. But...” He shrugged. “I don’t know. I just like the way I look, I guess.”  
  
“This trip’s not so bad, then, right?” Kuroo asked.  
  
“I never thought it was,” Kenma said with another small laugh. “You’re the one that got really upset about it.” _It’s kind of touching, to be honest._  
  
Kuroo chuckled against his hair. “Yeah, I guess so. Whoops.” He sighed contentedly as he relaxed against Kenma’s form, and took a deep breath. “You know,” he continued quietly, “you smell really good. Is it because of the shampoo you had to use?”  
  
Kenma felt his cheeks go warm once again. _I’m pretty sure I’ve blushed more in the last few hours than I have in the last month put together,_ he thought wryly. “I don’t know, probably? I’m wearing a little perfume, too.”  
  
“Oh?” He leaned down a little; the tip of his nose brushed along Kenma’s neck as he sniffed. “Mm. Very floral. It’s nice and sweet.”  
  
 _Two can play that game._ Kenma turned in his arms and spun his partner around, and leaned close as Kuroo’s back hit the railing. His face came so close to Kuroo’s that the taller man could see all the detail in his gold, catlike eyes.  
  
“You smell good too,” he whispered. A satisfied smile spread over his lips as Kuroo’s eyes widened in surprise again, and Kenma could swear that he saw a faint hint of pink on the other man’s cheeks. “Your cologne is really nice.”  
  
“It’s literally the same thing I wear every day,” Kuroo said with a faint note of disbelief.  
  
“That doesn’t mean it doesn’t smell good,” Kenma insisted. He smiled, and wrapped his arms around Kuroo’s waist as he pillowed his head against his chest. _So warm and comfortable._ “I’m just close enough to appreciate it right now.”  
  
Kuroo felt his heart flutter at the contact, and after a moment of hesitation, he let his hands rest gently on Kenma’s hips. “...Is this okay?” he asked quietly.  
  
“Yeah,” Kenma whispered. “It’s perfect.”  
  
“Just like you,” Kuroo smiled.  
  
Instead of replying, Kenma just nuzzled closer with a satisfied smile.

* * *

They stayed at the railing for a while, and watched the sun sink over the horizon together.  
  
When it was finally fully night, and the stars were bright in the sky, the sound of music grew louder from the area they'd been at earlier.  
  
“Wanna go dance?” Kuroo asked with a small smile.  
  
“Sure,” Kenma agreed quickly. _It’s a little embarrassing how much I’ve thought about it..._ “We both kind of suck at it, though... maybe we should’ve taken some lessons beforehand.”  
  
“Who cares about that?” Kuroo whispered into his ear. “We can get away with some bad dancing. Maybe they’ll just think we’re drunk,” he chuckled. “Besides, it might be one of our only chances to gather intel today... there’s not much going on, since we just set out a few hours ago. Maybe we can overhear something interesting.”  
  
“True,” Kenma agreed quietly. He stepped away from the railing, and laced his fingers through Kuroo’s as he began to walk. “Come on, then,” he smiled. “And make sure you don’t step on my feet.”  
  
Kuroo grinned as they weaved through several guests to get closer to the music. “Come on, give me some credit, darling! I’m not that poor of a dancer.” His eyes traveled over the area as he observed every detail he could, and came back to rest on Kenma; he couldn’t help but admire how the sleek dress hugged his slender frame. “Is dancing out here all right with you? Would you like to see the ballroom, perhaps?” he asked as he slipped completely back into his persona.  
  
With each step, Kenma’s hips swung sensually. “No, that’s fine. It’ll still be there tomorrow night. Let’s dance under the stars for now... it’ll be romantic.”  
  
 _No kidding... he’s got no idea how much I actually want to dance with him. Damn, that’s cheesy, isn’t it?_   Kuroo kept his thoughts to himself as they walked, and did the best he could to squash the longing in his heart. Frustratingly enough, they’d only been on the cruise for a handful of hours, and it was already much harder to ignore the feelings than it had ever been before. _It’s too damn easy to just give in and go along with the acting... hell, I’ve barely got a choice, if I wanna do the job right. Not like I really mind all that much..._  
  
As they found an open space near the band playing soft classical music, Kuroo rested a hand on Kenma’s hip and slowly began to sway side to side. He laughed a little as he moved, slightly off-beat to the song, and Kenma couldn’t help but smile as well.  
  
Kuroo watched him with unabashed adoration as they danced, and several guests nearby began to notice them. A few decided to join in as well; before long, nearly half the area was taken up by couples dancing to the melodies floating on the ocean air.  
  
Kenma looked up into Kuroo’s eyes with a soft, tiny smile, and the taller detective felt his stomach flip and his cheeks grow just a little warmer. _This would be the perfect moment..._ He paused for a second, and then leaned in a little closer; Kenma could feel his breath ghost across his face. _He’s not backing away,_ Kuroo thought as his pulse began to quicken. _He’s--_  
  
His racing thoughts came to an abrupt halt when Kenma closed the remaining distance between them with no hesitation at all.  
  
It wasn’t a quick, chaste kiss like their “practice” session; Kenma pushed into it with all the feelings he’d been holding back, and as the crowd took notice and began to clap, Kuroo reciprocated in kind. Their lips slid together, warm and slightly sweet with the taste of champagne as Kuroo’s hand tightened its grip on Kenma’s hip, and his heart beat hard and fast inside his chest.  
  
A whistle cut through the cheers, and they finally broke away, slightly breathless as they rested their foreheads against one another. They stared deeply into each other’s eyes, seemingly oblivious to their audience -- and finally, Kuroo spoke.  
  
“I love you,” he whispered tenderly. “I love you more than anything.”  
  
Kenma’s heart ached with equal parts pain and affection. “I love you too,” he said honestly. “I love you too.”  
  
 _I wish he wasn’t pretending,_ they both thought. _More than anything, I wish he actually meant it._

* * *

They made their way back to their suite hand in hand, still blushing and smiling the entire way. As soon as the door shut and locked safely behind them, Kenma sighed and slipped his high heels off before sprawling out on the bed.  
  
“My feet hurt,” he complained. “Those shoes look nice, but wearing them sucks.”  
  
“Yeah, I don’t envy you.” Kuroo sat beside him, and glanced at his laptop. “Wanna contact Akaashi and check in?”  
  
Kenma sat up, and shrugged. “Sure, I guess. We’ll have to eventually anyway, and I don’t want to worry him.”  
  
Kuroo opened the laptop, and scooted so close that their legs pressed against each other. Their knees knocked together a little as he booted it up; in the silence that followed, he took a moment to look over and study Kenma’s profile. When his partner noticed and gave him a questioning look, he just smiled back with a lazy wink.  
  
“Just thinking about how beautiful you are,” he said casually.  
  
“Ugh, shut up,” Kenma groaned as he let himself fall back onto the bed. “Your dancing is awful, by the way.”  
  
“Oh please, yours isn’t much better,” Kuroo laughed. “But at least we didn’t step on each other’s feet at all. And hey, I’m pretty sure we solidified our cover, too. I don’t think anyone suspects us; not even Nanase. All she knows is that there are detectives on the cruise, but she has no idea who they are.”  
  
 _His acting is so good, it’s giving me false hope,_ Kenma thought with a bit of frustration. _That dancing earlier... and standing at the railing with each other... and the kiss..._ “Yeah, no kidding. Nice kiss, by the way.”  
  
“Hey, you started it,” Kuroo grinned.  
  
“Yeah, right. So you were just leaning down to get a good look at my face?” Kenma asked drily as Kuroo opened a secure messenger client.  
  
Kuroo’s smile grew wider as Kenma sat up again. “Caught red handed. Well, for what it’s worth, you’re not so bad at kissing, either. Extra points for the acting! I almost thought you were really into it.”  
  
 _Probably because I was,_ Kenma thought a little sadly. _Not that I’m ready to admit it._  
  
“Okay, you ready?” At Kenma’s nod, Kuroo started a call; a few moments later, a video with Akaashi’s face appeared, with 1st Unit’s office visible in the background.  
  
“It’s good to see you--”  
  
“Hey hey heeey! How are they?! Are you two having fun--”  
  
“Bokuto-san, please calm down,” Akaashi said, clearly exasperated. “We’ve found some new intel,” he told Kuroo and Kenma. “What about you two?”  
  
Kuroo shrugged in response. “Nothing yet, but we pretty much expected that, right? The real fun starts tomorrow, when the art goes on display, and everyone’s been loosened up from alcohol and partying.”  
  
Akaashi nodded. “All right. Yaku-san and I found something interesting regarding the anonymous tip about Nanase smuggling... we decided to look into it, since it didn’t seem to add up, and traced it back to a man named Kamiya Jun.”  
  
“Doesn’t ring any bells. But from the look on your face, I’m guessing he’s bad news?” Kuroo asked.  
  
“Yes. We think he’s trying to pull a fast one by putting the spotlight on Nanase -- he’s actually a smuggler himself. A very dangerous one with a long, long record.” He sighed. “But it gets worse.”  
  
Kenma narrowed his eyes, and tried to ignore the faint dread that settled over his heart.  
  
“Kamiya is a man who will stop at nothing to achieve what he wants -- he’s been involved with countless murders and thefts over the last two decades, but he’s never been caught.”  
  
Kuroo sighed. “So he’s dangerous as hell, is what you’re saying.”  
  
“Yes,” Akaashi said, “and he’s almost definitely on board the ship.”

* * *

_to be continued in chapter 4_

 


	4. Chapter 4

“Are you kidding me?” Kuroo sighed.  
  
“I’m sorry,” Akaashi said apologetically. “We’re working to gather more intel on him and his operation. Which leads me to my next point... he’s probably not alone.”  
  
“Well, yeah, a guy like that probably wouldn’t board the cruise by himself--”  
  
“That isn’t what I mean, but yes, he likely has several of his own men on board with him as well. But we also found a nearby vessel that’s been following the course of the cruise... and it shouldn’t be. It’s unmarked, and unlisted. I doubt it’s a coincidence,” Akaashi said gravely. “We don’t know what they’re planning; maybe just recon for a future operation, maybe something worse. But whatever it is, if they’re trying to shift focus onto Nanase by sending in false tips, it could be something bad.”  
  
Kenma sighed. “Okay. We’ll lay low tonight, and start getting serious tomorrow. Do you think you can give us any more information on Kamiya by morning? Maybe some photos, so we know what he looks like?”  
  
“Absolutely,” Akaashi said. “And if the situation becomes too dangerous, we’ll extract you from the ship. We’ve already contacted the ship’s captain, and have resources ready if that becomes necessary. Please stay in contact, and be careful.”  
  
After Akaashi ended the call, Kenma fell back onto the bed with a heavy sigh. “We can’t even really do anything tonight. We might as well stay here and rest.”  
  
“Yeah. It’s already pretty late, anyway.” Kuroo took his gun from the hidden holster in his blazer and gently set it on the nightstand next to the bed, and then shrugged off his blazer and loosened his tie. “Do you wanna take the first shower?”  
  
Kenma nodded and sat up again. “Ugh. I’m not looking forward to putting all this on again tomorrow,” he complained as he stretched and stood up. “What a pain.” Kuroo felt vaguely ashamed of himself as he watched Kenma bend over to grab his pajamas from the duffel bag at the foot of the bed.  
  
 _Wow, that dress is... really something else,_ he thought as he felt his mouth go a little dry. He tore his gaze away and prayed to any god that might be listening that Kenma hadn’t noticed his lingering stare as the shorter man stood back up, and turned to go to the bathroom.  
  
“I might be a while,” Kenma said a little apologetically.  
  
“Fine by me. Take all the time you need.”  
  
As soon as the bathroom door shut behind Kenma, Kuroo let out a breath he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding. _Holy shit. I’m in way too deep._ He tapped his foot restlessly against the floor, and distantly noted the sound of the shower being turned on. _But the way he kissed me... the way he told me he loved me... damn. Maybe Akaashi really was right. Maybe Bokuto was right, too._ He let himself fall back onto the soft mattress, and stared up at the ceiling in thought. _Fuck. I love him so much. I really, really do. I think I always have, in a way, but... seeing him take those bullets for me..._  
  
His chest ached with grief at the memory. _I won’t let something like that happen again. Never, ever again._ He glanced over to the closed bathroom door, and felt a rush of fondness and determination all at once.  
  
 _Heh. No wonder Bokuto’s been so frustrated. I guess I am pretty obvious._ A small smile curved at his lips. _I’d do anything for Kenma._  
  
 _Anything to make sure he’s safe and happy._

* * *

Kenma left the bathroom about forty five minutes later with a towel slung low on his hips.  
  
He flopped stomach-first onto the bed with no real sense of embarrassment, and immediately opened his phone to check his emails. Kuroo tried -- and failed -- not to stare just a little too long at the smooth expanse of his partner’s back, and finally tore his eyes away when Kenma glanced up at him.  
  
“I’ll be quick,” was all Kuroo said, as he walked to the bathroom a bit too quickly.  
  
When the door shut behind him, he closed his eyes and let out another deep sigh as the tension left his shoulders. _Damn, I really do have it bad. I wonder if Kenma noticed before now?_   He turned the ornate knob in the shower and stepped under the warm water a moment later, still lost in his thoughts. _He’s so observant, I totally wouldn’t be surprised if he’s at least suspected something. But he’s never said anything..._  
  
Akaashi’s previous words came back to him almost immediately, with perfect clarity.  
  
 _What if he hasn’t said anything for the same reason I haven’t said anything? ...Is that a possibility?_   He sighed again as he opened a bottle of shampoo sitting in an alcove of the wall, and lathered his hair up. _Maybe my own fear is what’s blinding me to this whole thing. Maybe that really is what’s holding me back. Maybe the signs have always been there, and I’ve just been too oblivious to notice them._  
  
He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes for a moment before he looked down at the bottom of the tub, and watched the water swirl around his feet.  
  
 _Maybe I’m just afraid of hearing him say no._

* * *

By the time he was done, Kenma had changed into his pajamas and was under the blankets playing his DS.  
  
Kuroo didn’t see his partner’s eyes steal glances at him as he changed into his own pajamas. Warmth flooded Kenma’s cheeks as he admired the smooth muscles of Kuroo’s back as the other man pulled a clean, loose shirt down over his head; he immediately looked back at the screens of his handheld as Kuroo turned around and climbed into bed beside him.  
  
“Ready to sleep, or do you wanna play that a little longer? We can sleep in, since the art show isn’t until two in the afternoon.”  
  
“Let me finish this level first,” Kenma mumbled.  
  
Wordlessly, Kuroo scooted closer to him so that he could watch -- and this time, he didn’t miss the tiny smile that curved at the corner of Kenma’s lips. They stayed there together until Kenma’s eyes began to slip shut in fatigue; gently, Kuroo plucked the handheld from his grasp and set it to the side.  
  
“Time to rest, sleepyhead,” he said softly.  
  
With a wordless grumble, the smaller man curled into the blankets. His eyes fell shut again as he yawned into his pillow, and just seconds later, he stilled as he began to doze off.  
  
For a moment, Kuroo hesitated, until his own logic spurred him to action. _We’re out at sea, we have to share the bed anyway, and it’s nothing we haven’t done a million times before... So what if it has a little more meaning now?_  
  
He gently rested his arm over Kenma’s waist, and cuddled up close. A sense of comfort and peace washed over him as he felt himself quickly begin to drift off, and eased some of the dread simmering in his heart. _No matter what might happen, I’ll protect you..._  
  
 _At any cost._

* * *

Kenma was the first one to wake up.  
  
Kuroo’s arm was still slung around his waist, holding him close; Kenma could feel strands of the other man’s hair tickling his ear, and the warmth of his body against his own. _Well, we’re not in a hurry,_ he thought. _So I might as well enjoy this..._ He took a deep breath, and snuggled closer, and after a moment of thought, he carefully turned around so that he was facing Kuroo. The other man barely stirred; he wrinkled his nose a little, but otherwise seemed to be fast asleep. Kenma smiled to himself as he looked at his face; it was familiar, something he’d seen nearly every day for twenty years, and yet he’d still never gotten tired of it.  
  
Eventually, Kenma dozed off again in his partner’s arms. About half an hour later, Kuroo woke up -- and immediately smiled when he saw Kenma asleep in his embrace.  
  
 _He’s so gorgeous,_ he thought affectionately as he gently brushed a strand of hair from the smaller man’s face.  
  
At the touch, Kenma’s eyes gently fluttered open. “...good morning,” he mumbled drowsily.  
  
“Morning, beautiful,” Kuroo drawled teasingly. “Did you sleep well?”  
  
“Yeah...” He burrowed deeper into the blankets and Kuroo’s arms. “Don’t wanna get up.”  
  
“Too bad,” Kuroo laughed. He took one more moment to admire Kenma’s features, and then yanked the blanket off both of them with no warning.  
  
Kenma groaned with disgust and covered his face with his hands for a moment before he finally gave in and sat up. “I’ll go get ready,” he said groggily. “But it’ll probably take me a while.”  
  
Kuroo shrugged in response. “Fine by me. I’ll make some coffee.”  
  
While Kenma was in the bathroom, Kuroo got dressed, checked his emails, and made the coffee; with each action, he felt just a little more alert. He was sitting on the bed, scrolling through the news on his phone with his mug in hand when Kenma’s voice drifted from the other room.  
  
“Kuro... I need your help. The zipper on this dress is on the back, I can’t reach it.”  
  
With a raised eyebrow, he put his phone and his coffee down on the table and walked over to the bathroom.  
  
Kenma opened the door with a disgruntled look. “These things are nice, but they’re so stupid,” he grumbled as he turned around so Kuroo could reach the zipper.  
  
The taller man felt his blood run just a little hotter at the expanse of Kenma’s back, smooth and lean and way too inviting. Slowly, he reached down for the zipper, and his fingers brushed the skin near Kenma’s spine.  
  
A shiver ran through him at the touch, and it didn’t escape Kuroo’s sharp eyes.  
  
“...Sorry, did I make you uncomfortable?” he asked carefully as he slowly slid the zipper up.  
  
For a moment, Kenma stood there silently before replying, and Kuroo could see him bite one of his cherry lips.  
  
“...No,” he answered eventually. “It... felt nice, actually.” He turned around to face Kuroo, an unusual nervousness present in his face. “I didn’t mind.”  
  
 _If he didn’t mind, then why does he look so wound up?_   Kuroo wondered, even though he already had a hunch. _Does he..._ He pushed the thought to the back of his mind, and gave his partner his signature grin. “All right. Are you ready to call Akaashi, then?”  
  
“Yeah, I guess.” He plopped back onto the bed, and looked bored as Kuroo opened his laptop. “Aren’t you going to shave?”  
  
Idly, Kuroo ran a hand over his stubble. “What, my stubble isn’t dashing?” At Kenma’s unimpressed stare, he shrugged. “Wow, tough crowd. Let’s get this out of the way first. I’m sure Akaashi won’t care.” He took his laptop out of sleep mode, and booted up their secure messenger program; a moment later, his call went through, and a video of Akaashi showed up on the screen.  
  
“Good morning,” he said politely. “Let’s get right to business. I’m emailing over several photos we have of Kamiya, and a few of the people he works with as well. If you see any of them, be extremely careful. More than likely, they’re just there to steal, but we shouldn’t take any chances.”  
  
Kuroo frowned. “What, you think they might try and kill Nanase or something?”  
  
“Doubtful,” Akaashi replied. “Killing the hostess of the cruise while you’re still out at sea would probably be a bad move. But that’s not to say they won’t try once you’re back on land.” The sound of his typing carried through the call. “I’m sending some more info in this email about the art pieces that they’re probably after. Specifically, the one we mentioned before -- by that artist that’s never sold their work.”  
  
“Do you know how Nanase obtained it?” Kenma asked.  
  
Akaashi shook his head. “We couldn’t find any record of it in recent public auctions, which is suspicious. But then, someone might have given it to her, as well.”  
  
“That seems unlikely,” Kenma said. “...Unless they’re trying to frame her, since the tip about smuggling came from a smuggler.”  
  
“Exactly,” Akaashi agreed. “They may try stealing, or planting evidence, since they likely know that there are detectives on the ship. There’s a chance they’re aware of your identities as well, though that’s less likely.”  
  
Kuroo sighed. “Great. What should we do if we see one of them?”  
  
“Contact us immediately, and be on your guard. If you think the situation becomes too dangerous, we’ll pick you up,” he said. “It’s not optimal, but right now, your best course of action is probably just trying to see what they’re up to, if you can find them. It’d be good if we could keep them from successfully framing Nanase, or stealing from her, if they’re trying either of those.”  
  
Kenma groaned. “Easier said than done.”  
  
“I know,” Akaashi said apologetically. “Don’t take any unnecessary risks. I’ve sent the email with our compiled data over. Let us know if you need anything, okay?”  
  
“Sure thing, Vice-Captain,” Kuroo grinned. “Thanks for everything.”  
  
Akaashi nodded and ended the call; Kenma sighed, and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. “This is going to be annoying,” he said sullenly. “Our options are really limited, even if we talk directly to Nanase and tell her who we are. And if we do that, Kamiya might notice, and our cover would be totally blown for both parties.”  
  
Kuroo pinched the bridge of his nose. “Yeah. We might not be able to do much of anything, honestly. It sucks, but we haven’t been given all that much to work with, y’know? Let’s just do our best to keep an eye on the guests, especially during and after the art show.”  
  
Kenma nodded. “Go finish getting ready, and I’ll look over the email Akaashi sent us. The show starts in two hours, and I want to find some food.”  
  
“As you wish,” Kuroo laughed.

* * *

They made their way to the top deck, and quickly ate a small lunch before they went to the ballroom on a lower floor.  
  
“The show is starting in about five minutes, right?” Kenma asked quietly.  
  
“Yes, darling. Don’t worry, we’re just in time. See, they’re still getting ready; there’s Nanase-san setting up over there!” Kuroo pointed towards the other end of the large ballroom; sure enough, there was a stage with a large, dark red curtain that stretched all the way to the ceiling. Nanase checked her earpiece and vanished behind it while talking to a bodyguard. “I bet the paintings she’ll be showing off are all back there! They’re probably still finishing up before she begins.”  
  
“Mm. Let’s get some champagne from over there,” Kenma said with a smile. He tugged on Kuroo’s arm and led him over to a small table with several caterers; one of the men handed them both glasses with a bow.  
  
“Please enjoy the show,” he said politely.  
  
Kuroo nodded, and they walked over to the back of the ballroom, far away from the stage and the gathered crowd so that they could see everyone present. A moment later, Nanase came out onto the stage, and the curtain lifted behind her to reveal several paintings.  
  
“Welcome to the show!” she beamed as the audience clapped. “Today, I truly have a feast for your eyes!”  
  
As she continued to speak, Kuroo and Kenma’s gaze slid over the guests, sharp and observant as they stayed alert for any suspicious behavior. Most everyone’s attention seemed to be glued to the host of the event as she launched into a speech about her most recent purchase -- the very painting that she’d been accused of smuggling.  
  
“See anything particularly interesting, darling?” Kuroo whispered into Kenma’s ear.  
  
The smaller man shivered, and without speaking, he looked up and to the left. Kuroo’s eyes followed his gaze -- and locked on to a man staring intently at the painting behind Nanase as he frantically typed something on his phone, all while trying to remain inconspicuous. To his side, another man whispered something into a headset, without ever taking his eyes off of the woman speaking on stage.  
  
“My, he looks rather familiar, doesn’t he?” Kuroo drawled quietly.  
  
Kenma nodded. “Maybe we can ask him later, if we’ve met before? But interrupting the show might be a bad idea.” _Let’s wait and see, and play it safe._  
  
“Of course.” Kuroo leaned down and gently kissed Kenma on the cheek as he slipped an arm around his waist; the smaller man shivered again, and tried to ignore the heat blooming in his chest.  
  
The show seemed to drag on; the two hours that followed were nearly agonizing. Finally, Nanase began to wrap up her talk on art history; Kuroo and Kenma politely applauded with the crowd as she finished her announcement. “There will be more chances to view these pieces tomorrow, but for now, please enjoy the rest of the evening!”  
  
“Darling, would you like to go back to our room and freshen up?” Kuroo asked sweetly.  
  
“Yes, if you wouldn’t mind,” Kenma replied quietly.  
  
Kuroo leaned down, and pressed a tender kiss to his lips. “Anything for you,” he whispered gently.  
  
Kenma’s eyes widened in shock for a moment before his mouth quirked into a fond smile, and he returned the kiss with twice as much passion, to Kuroo’s surprise and delight.

* * *

“So, those two guys,” Kuroo said as soon as their suite door shut behind them.  
  
“I don’t think either of them was Kamiya,” Kenma said. “But I definitely recognized the one on the left from some of the photos that Akaashi sent over this morning.”  
  
“So it stands to reason Kamiya’s somewhere on the cruise, too,” Kuroo said as he sat down and opened his laptop. “And they were probably scoping the place out.” A moment later, he opened the software to call Akaashi, and the video started as Kenma continued to speak.  
  
“I think their goal is almost definitely theft. That’s probably why their smaller ship is keeping course with this one,” Kenma said. “We might not be able to stop them. But if we see them again, maybe we can try talking to them and getting some info that way, using our cover... if they don’t already know our aliases.”  
  
Akaashi blinked at him. “I’m guessing you ran into them, then?”  
  
Kuroo nodded. “We’re going to see if we can talk to them and get more info. But this might not be something we can actively stop unless we catch them in the act.”  
  
“That’s understandable. If nothing else, we can add their presence here to build an eventual case against Kamiya and actually put him behind bars. Please wear the hidden microphones from now on, too. I know it’s a risk in case they’re found, but if you find yourselves in danger, it could become a necessity.” His tone was serious, his eyes full of concern. “We’ll be keeping a close eye on everything, and heading out to the pier in case we need to pick you up quickly. Do what you can, and keep in touch.”  
  
Akaashi ended the call, and Kuroo ran his hands over his gelled hair. “This is so annoying. Are there any other events today?”  
  
“Nothing big,” Kenma said. “We can go linger and see if we can talk to them.” He stood up, and held his hand out to his partner. “Are you in?”  
  
Kuroo threaded their fingers together, and smiled as he pressed a kiss to Kenma’s temple. “Of course, darling,” he drawled in a teasing lilt.  
  
Warmth flooded Kenma’s cheeks as Kuroo led him back out of the room, and his eyes rested on the strong line of the taller detective’s shoulders as he replayed the moment in his mind over and over again. _How come he did that where nobody could see us?_  
  
 _Why did he kiss me if it wasn’t necessary?_

* * *

They didn’t catch sight of Kamiya or his men for the next three hours.  
  
Kenma could hardly stop thinking about the kiss from earlier. _I'm pretty sure I know exactly why he did it. I'm... I'm probably not fooling myself._ _I think I've been dancing around this for long enough._ _After this is over... I’m going to tell him how I feel. No matter what._  
  
Kuroo interrupted his thoughts with a gentle kiss to his cheek. “Do you want to look out at the water again?” he asked quietly. “It’ll be sunset soon. Another gorgeous opportunity, don’t you think? And it’s quieter here, too.”  
  
Kenma seemed to think on it for a moment. “Maybe... Let me get us some champagne first? I think there’s some on the other side of the awning there...”  
  
“Certainly! I’ll save our spot,” Kuroo smiled.  
  
Kenma laughed airily. “You’re so silly, darling. I won’t be gone long.”  
  
Kuroo’s eyes were sharp as Kenma walked away, and he reluctantly turned his eyes to the water. _If they know who we are, they might approach us if we’re alone, but that doesn’t mean I have to like the idea of him by himself... Feels wrong. Like we're setting ourselves up. This whole case is already way too strange for my liking._  
  
He became even more of their surroundings, and noted with some alarm that they were in a heavily isolated part of the second deck -- most people were at the third floor ballroom, or on the top of the ship, to get the best view of the night sky and listen to the music.  
  
When he turned back to voice his concerns, Kenma was already gone -- but a man that seemed all too familiar stood nearby, and watched him with a predatory smile.  
  
“Nice night, huh?” he asked with a deep, gravelly voice. He was about Bokuto’s height, dressed in an expensive suit, with dark eyes that glittered with malice. “You and your wife having a nice time?”  
  
 _Fuck,_ Kuroo thought nervously. “Absolutely!” he replied with a false smile. “We haven’t been on a cruise in ages, honestly. Oh, my name’s Sato Takaya, by the way!” He held out his hand to shake, and the other man walked closer.  
  
He grasped Kuroo’s hand just a little too tightly, his palm and fingers rough with callouses. “And I’m Kamiya Jun. Nice to meet you, _Detective_.”

* * *

Kenma rounded the bend of the ship, certain that he’d seen a caterer walking around with a tray of champagne glasses. But when he got there, all he saw was two tall men in suits, and no caterer in sight -- the entire length of the corridor was empty aside from him and the two strangers.  
  
But the worst part was, he recognized their faces.  
  
He was about to turn and head back towards Kuroo, but one of them caught sight of him and immediately began walking over. “Hey there, gorgeous,” he leered. “What’re you doing out here, all by yourself?”  
  
 _They’re definitely Kamiya’s men,_ he thought anxiously. He put on a flustered smile, and raised a hand to his chest like he was embarrassed -- and inconspicuously hit the microphone hidden on the inside of his dress to activate it. “Oh, hello. I’m just trying to find some champagne for my husband and I... I thought there was some around here?”  
  
“Oh, is that so?” the first man smiled unpleasantly. He came closer, and towered over Kenma. “You know, there are a lot of things that piss me off, but lying to my face is probably close to the top of my least favorite things.”  
  
Kenma backed up as the men came closer, and felt his back hit the railing. “I’m... not sure I understand what you mean,” he said quietly, with a rising sense of dread.  
  
“Really?” the second man asked as he reached into his coat. “Because I think you know _exactly_ what I’m talking about, Detective Kozume.”

* * *

Akaashi was in the car with Bokuto at the pier, laptop open, when he got Kenma’s signal.  
  
Immediately, an audio window began recording on his computer, and the earpieces that he and Bokuto were wearing picked up every bit of conversation.  
  
“ _Shit_ ,” Bokuto swore. “Akaashi, we need to get them out of there, like, _ten minutes ago--”_  
  
“Let’s go!” He threw his laptop in the back with little care; it bounced, and somehow stayed open as he and Bokuto leapt out of the car and slammed the doors shut. They immediately started running down the boardwalk, and signaled to Yaku and Lev, who were standing nearby -- the two other officers of 1st Unit nodded in understanding, and ran into a security building to start their own side of the operation.  
  
Akaashi touched the earpiece and spoke breathlessly as he and Bokuto continued running. “We’re coming to get you right now. We’ve been in contact with the ship’s captain, so the cruise has already come a little closer to shore. We have a helicopter, but the soonest we can be there is about five minutes. Please hang on.”  
  
He received no response, but they could still hear Kamiya’s men speaking to Kenma just as he and Bokuto leapt into the copter waiting in a secluded part of the pier.

* * *

_It looks like there’s no getting myself out of this one,_ Kenma thought nervously. _But is Kuro okay...?_   “You know who I am,” he stated. “I see.”  
  
“Damn right, you little shit. Thought you could pull one over on us? Of course we knew you’d be on the damn cruise, we’re the ones that gave you the intel on Nanase in the first place.” He drew a switchblade from his pocket, and smiled as he flipped it open. “We were hoping you’d keep your eyes on Nanase, but no deal, huh? We know you noticed us during the art show. How unfortunate for you.”  
  
Kenma’s hand slid down to the slit in his dress, and he pulled out a long knife strapped into a sheath on his inner thigh. “Don’t come any closer,” he warned quietly. “We don’t have to do this.”  
  
“Like hell we don’t!” The man lunged for him, blade pointed down towards Kenma’s chest as he swung his arm.  
  
Kenma raised his own knife just in time, and stopped the hit with his own blade. With his free hand, he quickly reached down and unsheathed a second knife from his other thigh -- and brought it up to block the second man, who was lunging to his exposed side with a switchblade.  
  
His arms shook with strain as he pushed against both men’s switchblades to throw them off balance, and then he spun with both knives out to cut the hand of the man on his right. The smuggler screamed in pain and dropped his weapon as he stepped back, clutching at his fingers. Blood splattered on the white floor of the deck; the wound had been deep.  
  
“Holy shit!” he sobbed in agony and rage. “Kill him!”  
  
Kenma brought both of his knives up in an X to block the second man’s weapon as he swung down at the detective once more. The man drew back for another strike, and this time, Kenma moved to the side and dodged with his entire body. He spun his knives in his palms, and brought them down -- directly into the hands of his second attacker.  
  
His weapons were lost as the man stumbled back, Kenma’s knives stuck in the back of his hands as he screamed in agony.  
  
 _Where’s Kuro?!_   he thought frantically as he turned his back to the smugglers. _Is he safe?!_

* * *

As soon as Kamiya said his name, Kuroo’s free hand went into his blazer for his gun.  
  
Kamiya’s other hand came in swinging, and knocked the weapon from his grasp. The detective’s revolver spun across the floor of the deck, completely out of reach as he stumbled backwards. He reached into his sleeve and drew out a slender knife, just as Kamiya drew his own blade -- and it was much larger and deadlier looking than Kuroo’s.  
  
 _Shit, that thing’s gotta be at least 20 centimeters,_ Kuroo thought frantically as he watched the other man’s movements. He swung his arm down to block as his opponent slashed at his legs, and drew his empty hand back to swing a punch at Kamiya’s face. He missed, though, as Kamiya stepped to the side and slashed at his arm.  
  
Kuroo just barely dodged by stumbling ungracefully forward, and tried to cut at Kamiya’s side, but the man spun and lunged downward at Kuroo’s arm. The detective regained his footing and stepped out of the way, then brought his knife up to attack again --  
  
And felt white hot fire as Kamiya’s blade pierced his abdomen.  
  
He clenched his teeth through the pain, and savagely stabbed his opponent in the chest with all the strength he could muster. Kamiya staggered backwards, clutching at his wound; his back hit the wall, several feet from the railing, as he screamed for his bodyguards.  
  
Kuroo ignored him, and scooped up his revolver as he stumbled forward. He clasped his free hand over his wound, and tried not to think about how his fingers felt slick with blood as he began to run towards the area his partner had walked to just moments before. “Kenma?!” he yelled. “Kenma, where are you?!”  
  
He rounded the bend just in time to see Kenma running towards him -- and his blood ran cold as one of the men that Kenma had fought stumbled forward from behind him, and grasped the smaller detective’s hand.  
  
Kenma’s eyes widened with fear as the taller man spun him, and picked him up completely off of the ground by his waist. Blood streamed down his injured hand, but he screamed with rage, powered by anger and adrenaline as he stumbled towards the railing with the detective in his arms.  
  
 _“No!”_   Kuroo screamed frantically. _“Don’t!”_  
  
Desperate to get free, Kenma struggled in his grasp, but to no avail. His heart pounded in his ears as he felt the cool metal of the railing against his skin. Terror surged through his mind as the man dangled him over the water, and he tasted bile in the back of his throat as his pulse nearly doubled from panic.  
  
He tried to speak, tried to fight, but all he managed was a whimper as the man smiled savagely -- and let him go.  
  
For a brief, horrifying moment, he felt weightless as he fell through the air --  
  
And then the cold water of the ocean swallowed him whole.

* * *

_to be continued in chapter 5_

 


	5. Chapter 5

He opened his mouth to scream, to breathe, but instead of air, he found only water.  
  
Water. Surrounding him, pressing in -- the light of the dimming sky suddenly became blurred as he became completely submerged, and his mind went blank in a haze of absolute, panic-driven terror as he squeezed his eyes shut.  
  
 _Please--_  
  
 _Breathe, I need--_  
  
 _air_  
  
 _can’t swim can’t breathe can’t breathe **can’t breathe** help_  
  
 _Kuro_  
  
 _help please help--_  
  
He thrashed, but only seemed to sink further, and the cold pressure on every inch of his skin fueled his fear as his lungs burned, desperate for air.  
  
 _going to die, I’m--_  
  
He reached up, but to no avail, as he sunk further into the depths of the sea.  
  
 _I’m sorry--!_

* * *

Rage burned in Kuroo’s eyes as he aimed his revolver and pulled the trigger.  
  
The man that had thrown Kenma overboard screamed in renewed agony as the bullet hit him just below the shoulder, and he fell to his knees with a strangled cry. Not far away, Kuroo could hear a commotion, and his mind distantly noted that people were probably coming to investigate the sounds of screaming and gunfire.  
  
But at that moment, none of it mattered to him.  
  
He holstered his weapon, and cringed in pain as he hoisted himself up onto the railing. His eyes scanned the water, and caught sight of a faint red shimmer that could only be Kenma’s dress--  
  
And without any hesitation at all, he dived into the ocean.  
  
He resisted the urge to gasp as the cold water enveloped him and burned his eyes. _I have to reach him, I’ll save him at any cost--_  
  
 _At any cost, no matter what--_  
  
He kicked his legs behind him, and drew closer and closer to Kenma’s thrashing form. _I’m close, I’m so close, just hold on, please, please just hold on--_  
  
His heart surged with adrenaline as his fingertips brushed Kenma’s arm, and with one final push, he was close enough to wrap his arms around his partner. Kenma didn’t stop thrashing, though, and Kuroo found it much more difficult to swim upwards.  
  
 _He’s panicking,_ Kuroo thought clinically. _Not that I can blame him._ His powerful legs kicked underneath him, and he loosened one arm to help as he made his way to the surface. Pain burned along his torso from his wound, but he ignored it with the stubborn willpower he’d long been known for as he drew closer and closer, until finally--  
  
Finally, they broke the surface of the water.  
  
Kenma stilled in his arms, and seemed to come back to himself a little, though he still looked absolutely terrified. “K... Kuro? Kuro? I--”  
  
“It’s fine,” Kuroo wheezed. “You’re fine... I’ve got you.” He rested his head against Kenma’s, and focused on his breathing, and keeping them afloat. “You’re fine. Akaashi and Bokuto are on the way. I’ve... I’ve got you.” His eyes and stomach burned, and he felt Kenma still shaking in his arms.  
  
“I’m... I’m sorry, I--”  
  
“You don’t have... anything to be sorry for. Okay?” Kuroo shivered, and held him tighter. “Save your strength.”  
  
Kenma’s eyes flickered back down to the water, and widened as he noticed the dark cloud forming around them. “Kuro? Why is... Are you bleeding?” he asked. “Are you--”  
  
“Don’t... worry about that,” he wheezed. “Just... they’ll be here. Soon.” _Focus. Breathe in, breathe out. Pain is just an illusion of the mind. I have to hang on. For Kenma’s sake. Just a few more minutes..._ “You’ll be safe... we’ll both... be safe.”  
  
Kenma’s shaking worsened. “Kuro? W-where are you hurt?”  
  
Kuroo shook his head. “Doesn’t matter... focus. Focus... Just hang on.” The words were for Kenma, but for himself as well. “Just a little longer.”  
  
Kenma picked up on it immediately. He focused in on Kuroo, on his warmth, desperate to forget the sea that threatened to drag them to early graves. “Just a little longer,” he agreed. “Focus, Kuroo. Just... a few more minutes...”  
  
Kuroo didn’t open his eyes, and kept his forehead against Kenma’s. His skin felt cold and clammy. “Talk to me,” he whispered. “About anything. Just... please.” _I’m glad the sea’s mostly calm right now,_ he thought distantly as the gentle waves pushed them a little further from the cruise. “Anything...”  
  
Kenma’s pulse pounded in his ears, too hard and too loud, and he still felt like he was choking a little as he tried to speak around the lump in his throat. “I... the other day, Akaashi was saying you and I should take a vacation together... sometime. I was thinking about... about where we could go, maybe, I...” His breathing was ragged and uneven, and tears stung at his eyes as he tried to fight down the panic. _In the water, still in the water, Kuro’s bleeding, I can’t... I can’t do anything, but I have to keep him awake--_ “Maybe an onsen, or something... I don’t know. I don’t care about stuff like that... I’d be fine just staying home with you.”  
  
Kuroo hummed, and his breath was warm against Kenma’s skin. A wave of dizziness washed through the taller detective, but he kept swimming, just enough to keep them afloat.  
  
“I... I like it when you watch me play videogames,” he stammered quietly, his voice still edged with hysteria. _Too much water, too much blood, too much--_ “I never understood why you liked watching it. I always thought... it was kinda weird. I couldn’t understand... but I’ve always been glad that you do, so...” Tears spilled over his cheeks, and his breathing became shallower as his chest ached with anxiety. “So I wouldn’t mind if we just... stayed home and did that, for a vacation... and maybe...”  
  
His vision swam a little, and he clung too tightly to Kuroo, who grunted quietly in pain. “Sorry... sorry,” Kenma whispered. “Maybe we could watch some movies... you’ve been nagging me about some forever.”  
  
Kuroo’s laugh was genuine, but quiet and laced with pain. His eyes were still closed as he smiled a little. “Let’s do that... let’s watch them... after we get back...”  
  
“Yeah,” Kenma said breathlessly as he held back a sob. The dark cloud around them was expanding, and the metallic smell of Kuroo’s blood made his stomach clench with horror. “I’ll watch all of them with you. No matter... no matter how stupid they are,” he promised weakly. “Just... as long as you make it. As long as we make it... Please hold on, Kuro...”  
  
“We’ll be... we’ll be fine.” Another wave of dizziness washed over him, and they sank several centimeters for a moment when Kuroo’s motions faltered in the water. He continued keeping them afloat with renewed vigor, and looked at Kenma as if to promise him they’d be fine -- but his eyes were glassy with pain and weakness. “I won’t let... anything... happen to you...”  
  
Nausea coiled in Kenma’s stomach, and he fought down the bile in the back of his throat. “Just hang on, okay? They’re almost... just a little more... can you hear them? I...”  
  
Kuroo’s eyes slipped shut again, and for a moment, all he could pick up was the sound of the ocean waves, and the distant screams on the cruise -- undoubtedly caused by the bloody scene they’d left behind. But then, the faint sound of a helicopter reached his ears, and his mouth quirked up in a weak, tired smile.  
  
“They’re coming...” He sagged a little again, and his motions faltered for a moment once more; a thrill of anxiety raced through Kenma as they briefly sank a little in the water, until Kuroo pushed them back up with the force of his legs. “S-sorry,” he gasped. “Sorry... Just a little more.” Even as he said it, though, they sank again briefly; this time, the water came up to Kenma’s eyes for a moment, until Kuroo pushed them back up.  
  
“Kuro,” Kenma rasped, a hint of begging and fear in his voice, “Please, please... They’re almost here.”  
  
“How close...?” he whispered.  
  
“I...” He glanced away, and felt a surge of hope. “Maybe forty five seconds? If that. Kuro, they’re almost here--”  
  
Kuroo’s strength faltered again, and this time, Kenma felt his skin crawl with horror as he was completely submerged for a brief, terrible moment. Once again, Kuroo kicked back up with his legs, and they broke the surface of the dark, bloodstained water.  
  
“Listen... if I pass out...”  
  
“You _won’t_ , Kuro--”  
  
“S-stand on me, or... whatever you have to... just. Stay alive... Kenma.” His eyes fell shut again as he was hit with another wave of dizziness, and Kenma felt the arm around his waist begin to loosen its grip. “Please...”  
  
Kenma’s grip on Kuroo tightened. “No,” he seethed defiantly, his voice frantic with fear. “I won’t leave you--”  
  
He took a deep breath as he felt Kuroo’s strength fade again; this time, they went under for several seconds. Kuroo pushed up again, and smiled faintly as he saw the helicopter descending nearby. His vision started to grow dark, and again, they sank under the waves--  
  
But this time, instead of bringing them both up, he pushed Kenma to the top with the last of his strength, and continued to drift under the ocean.  
  
 _“No!”_   Kenma screamed as he began to flounder in the water. Once again, his mind began to blank with sheer terror--  
  
Until two strong arms hoisted him upwards.  
  
“I’ve got you!” Akaashi yelled over the whirling of the helicopter blades. A second later, he was straining as hard as he could, and Kenma felt himself being lifted from the water.  
  
“ _Kuro!_   Kuro’s still in there!” he sobbed. “He’s drowning!”  
  
“Not on our watch,” Akaashi promised. Before he could even finish the sentence, Bokuto dived from the open door on the other side, and hit the water with a loud splash. Kenma almost felt like he was going to vomit as he was finally pulled completely into the copter, but he managed to hold it down as a paramedic began to check him for injuries.  
  
Kenma didn’t make it easy, though. He immediately scrambled back to the edge of the open door, and looked down at the water with wide, fearful eyes--  
  
And a moment later, Bokuto broke the surface with an unconscious Kuroo in his arms.  
  
“Get him up, he’s hurt!” Bokuto shouted.  
  
Kenma watched as Akaashi strained to pull Kuroo out of Bokuto’s arms; a split second later, Akaashi finally managed to drag the injured detective into the helicopter with Kenma’s help.  
  
Akaashi reached down to help Bokuto pull himself back up, and Kenma sat beside Kuroo as the paramedic ripped his soaking wet blazer open. The white undershirt he was wearing was almost completely red; the paramedic cut it, and immediately pressed a cloth against the wound. “Looks like he’s lost a lot of blood,” he explained hastily. “It’s hard to say if this hit anything vital. We need to get him to a hospital immediately.”   
  
Bokuto nodded, and stood up to give instructions to the pilot as the paramedic began to work.  
  
“Is... is he going to be okay?” Kenma whispered.  
  
He glanced over at him for a moment. “...Probably.” He kept working, but nodded towards a blanket next to him. “Please, wrap that around yourself. You look like you’re going into shock. Are you injured?”  
  
“No,” Kenma replied quietly as he grabbed the blanket and unrolled it. He pulled it around his shoulders, and immediately felt less cold, but the panic hadn’t completely subsided. “I’m fine. Is... is he really going to be okay?”  
  
The paramedic looked over at him again, with sympathy clear in his warm eyes. “I think so,” he replied quietly. “I’m sure he’ll be fine. We’ll do our best, okay?”  
  
Kenma nodded, and reached forward to thread his fingers through Kuroo’s. He tried to hold back the tears, but adrenaline still coursed through his system, and his heart still raced with panic. Akaashi and Bokuto’s voices were a blur, and he couldn’t focus on them, couldn’t focus on anything aside from the too-cold palm against his own.

* * *

About eight minutes later, they touched down on the roof of the hospital, where a stretcher and several doctors were already waiting.  
  
Kuroo’s hand was wrenched from Kenma’s grasp as he was loaded onto the stretcher and rushed inside the building; Bokuto gave the shorter man a sympathetic look, and scooted over.  
  
“Hey,” he said quietly as he put a hand on his shoulder. “D’you wanna go with him?” Kenma nodded blankly, and Bokuto smiled. “All right. I’ll help you inside, okay? We’ll get you in there. Can you walk?”  
  
“...I think so,” Kenma replied, his voice raw. “Sorry.”  
  
“No worries!” Bokuto said warmly. “C’mon, I’ve got ya!” He eased himself out of the copter and onto the ground, then held his hands up for Kenma. The smaller man hesitated for a moment to get his bearings, and then used Bokuto’s hands to steady himself as he slipped out of the copter to stand beside the captain of 1st Unit. “Ready to go?” Bokuto asked.  
  
Kenma just nodded, and held the blanket tighter around himself. Bokuto put an arm around his shoulders, and slowly began to walk him into the building, all the while talking about how much of an awesome vacation Kenma and Kuroo would get to take once everything was taken care of.  
  
From the helicopter, Akaashi smiled as he watched them go, and continued speaking into a headset as he opened his laptop. “Yaku-san, are you still there?”  
  
“Yes,” a breathless voice replied over the earpiece. “Looks like that bastard isn’t even on the cruise anymore. That ship nearby? Some guys dropped jetskis off of it, and picked him and his guys up. Their blood’s still all over the crime scene, but they got away... from Nanase’s ship, at least.”  
  
“We can probably track it. Even unmarked, a ship can’t completely disappear.”  
  
“Yeah,” Yaku agreed. “We’ve set up a security force around the length of the entire beach, with checkpoints. And there’s a couple officers out on jetskis, but--” He paused for a moment to have a hurried conversation with someone else. “What do you mean -- _what?_ How the hell did they manage _that?”_  
  
 _I don’t like the sound of that,_ Akaashi thought with a hint of exasperation. “What happened?”  
  
“Well, their ship’s been located, and Kamiya’s accounted for. But it’s gotten even more complicated,” Yaku sighed. “We got a call from Nanase. Some of Kamiya’s other men pulled off the theft while he was fighting with Kuroo and Kenma.”  
  
Akaashi sighed. “That’s annoying, to say the least.”  
  
“No kidding. But even worse -- they’ve got a hostage with them.”

* * *

Bokuto’s arm was a steadying, reassuring warmth as he led Kenma through the hospital.  
  
He kept his arm there, even as he spoke with several members of the staff and showed them his badge. They walked some more, and finally, after what felt like forever, he took a seat with Kenma outside of a room deep in the hospital.  
  
“Hey,” he said gently, as Kenma stared at the floor. “Kuroo’s in that room in front of us. He’s gonna be fine.”  
  
Kenma looked up at him, hope and skepticism warring in his tired eyes. “...Are you sure?”  
  
“Yup! Nothing to worry about. We just have to play the waiting game. That’s not so bad, right? Especially when your beloved captain’s right here with you!” he grinned.  
  
Kenma frowned. “...Don’t you have to help Akaashi?”  
  
Bokuto pouted a little. “Why do I feel like you’re scolding me?”  
  
“Because I am.”  
  
Bokuto frowned, and shook his head. “No, listen, Akaashi’s fine! Don’t worry about him. He’s working with Yaku and Lev to keep track of Kamiya! But I’m staying right here,” he said in a tone that left no room for argument. “I’m the captain of the unit, after all! So I need to make sure to support my officers at all times, especially when they need it most!”  
  
“...You can’t really do anything about Kuro’s condition, though--”  
  
“I’m not talking about Kuroo,” he said. “I’m talking about you.” Kenma looked surprised at that, and Bokuto kept talking. “C’mon,” he said softly, “I know you’re really shaken up. Akaashi told me right before the cruise about the, y’know... the phobia thing? And that you don’t know how to swim.” He looked at his feet for a moment, and his expression fell a little, burdened with guilt and fatigue. “Not to mention, I know how important Kuroo is to you, y’know? So seeing all of that...”  
  
Despite everything, a small warmth melted some of the cold inside Kenma’s chest. _He’s so worried..._  
  
“...I feel really stupid,” Bokuto continued, his voice raw with honesty. “For putting you on the case in the first place, but not pulling you out, even after I found out about the water thing.”  
  
“That’s not your fault,” Kenma insisted. “We told you it was fine--”  
  
“Yeah, but I totally shouldn’t have listened to you!” Bokuto sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. “I mean, damn, I’m the captain! I gotta be a little better about this sort of thing.”  
  
“...Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Kenma said awkwardly.  
  
Bokuto shook his head. “Listen -- this isn’t about me, anyway! It’s about you and Kuroo.” He leaned back. “I’m sorry I didn’t reassign the case, even if you wanted to do it anyway. But my original point is, I know how much he means to you, and I know you’re not okay! So I’m not gonna just leave you sitting here alone in a hospital while you wait for the doctors to finish with him!”  
  
Kenma looked away, clearly embarrassed. “...Thanks,” he said quietly, after a moment of silence. “For everything.”  
  
Bokuto grinned, and ruffled his wet hair fondly. “Don’t think anything of it! How’re you feeling now, anyway?”  
  
“...Better. But still not great,” he replied honestly. He closed his eyes, and his voice caught in his throat. “I... I panicked... It was...”  
  
He put his face in his hands, and took a deep breath. Bokuto frowned, and leaned over to wrap the blanket tighter around him. “Hey, it’s okay. Oh, um, d’you want me to go get a nurse or something? Your clothes are soaked--”  
  
“No,” Kenma said quickly. “No... not yet. Not until Kuro wakes up.” He didn’t look up at Bokuto as he spoke. “If... if that’s okay.”  
  
“Yeah, of course.” Bokuto leaned back on the bench to make himself comfortable, and gave Kenma his sunniest smile when the other detective finally glanced up at him. “I’ll be right here with you.”

* * *

“Detectives?”  
  
Bokuto jerked awake; he’d dozed off against the wall, with Kenma still at his side. “Huh? Oh! Hey, doctor! What’s the news?”  
  
The woman standing in front of them smiled. “Detective Kuroo will be fine, though he’ll need some time to recover. He was lucky -- nothing vital was hit. But he did lose quite a lot of blood. We did a couple transfusions, but as I said, he’ll need some time off of his feet.”  
  
A relieved smile spread across Kenma’s face. “Can we see him?”  
  
“Of course,” she replied kindly. “He’s not awake yet, but stay as long as you like. And... I’ll have someone bring by a hospital gown, and something for you to clean up with.”  
  
Kenma stood up as she walked away, a little self conscious about the mess of his makeup, hair and clothing. Beside him, Bokuto stretched and yawned as he got off of the bench, and rubbed sleepily at his eyes.  
  
“All right, ready to go in?” he smiled.  
  
Kenma nodded, and took the lead. His pulse started to pick up again as his hand closed on the door’s handle, and he opened it with a sense of rising anticipation.  
  
The room was quiet, aside from the steady, faint beeping of a heart monitor. Kuroo was asleep, covered in a blanket with several wires attached to him; his skin was shockingly pale in a way that Kenma had never seen before.  
  
His whole body felt heavy as Kenma slowly made his way to the chair at Kuroo’s bedside. Quietly, Bokuto crouched down next to him.  
  
“Hey. Want me to stay a little longer, or should I get going?”  
  
“...I’ll be okay,” he replied quietly. His voice shook a little on the words, and his hands trembled in his lap. “I lost my phone in the water, though.”  
  
“No worries! Here.” He reached into his blazer and pulled out a phone, then held it out for Kenma to take. “I brought a spare with me before we left for the pier this morning! Just in case!” he grinned. “Call us up if you need anything! And we’ll keep you updated, of course!” He gave him his sunniest grin and a lazy salute, and whistled a carefree tune as he left.  
  
A moment later, a nurse stopped in with a fresh hospital gown, towel, and washcloth in her arms, and she looked at Kenma with a critical eye. “Detective, you look like you’ve seen better days.”  
  
Kenma nodded. “Yeah. I’ll be fine, though--”  
  
“You don’t _look_ fine,” she insisted. “You should be treated--”  
  
“I can’t leave him.” He looked up at her, and then bowed his head a little. “Please. I absolutely can’t leave him right now.”  
  
She sighed. “...All right, I understand. Here, change into this, and please clean yourself up in the sink over there. Let me bring you something to drink, at least.” She left without another word, and Kenma used the opportunity to stand up so he could change.  
  
His legs still shook a little as he quickly undressed, dried off, and pulled the hospital gown on. He made his way over to the sink, and ran the washcloth under warm water before he looked into the mirror above it.  
  
 _Wow._ His eyeliner was streaked all over his cheeks, his lipstick smeared and cracked. His eyes were bloodshot and swollen from crying, but his skin was pale and sickly looking. _I really do look like shit... that's embarrassing._ Carefully, he began to clean himself up with the warm, damp washcloth; within moments, he started to feel a little better.  
  
A couple minutes later, he rinsed the washcloth off and left it in the sink before he sat back down and wrapped the blanket around his shoulders once more. He scooted the chair closer to the bed, just as the nurse came back with a glass of water.  
  
“Here,” she said briskly as she pushed it into his hands. “Make sure you drink all of that, okay? I’ll be by again in about an hour on my rounds, but call me if you need something sooner.”  
  
“Thanks,” Kenma said quietly. She nodded in response, and left without another word.  
  
He sipped at the water, and closed his eyes for a moment in bliss; the cool liquid felt amazing on his raw throat. Before he knew it, he’d drained the entire cup. With a quiet sigh, he leaned over and tossed it in the small trash can, and looked at Kuroo’s sleeping form; after a moment of hesitation, he reached forward, and held his partner’s hand.  
  
 _He almost... I almost lost him._ Panic surged fresh in his blood as the realization fully hit him in the quiet of the hospital room. _Is this how he felt on New Years? I... I almost lost him for good. He almost..._ Fresh tears burned at his eyes, and he bit at his lip to hold back a sob as his pulse echoed in his ears. _Never again._  
  
 _Never, never again._  
  
He rested his head on the edge of Kuroo’s bed, his fingers still interlaced with the other man’s. His eyes slipped shut, and his tears left warm trails on his cheeks as sleep finally claimed him.

* * *

“...Kenma.”  
  
He jerked awake quickly, and looked up with wild, terrified eyes--  
  
Only to see Kuroo peering back at him, with a tired smile on his lips.  
  
“Hey,” he rasped quietly. “Sorry if I startled you.”  
  
“It’s fine, I’m just...” He squeezed his hand, and let out a breath he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding in. “I’m just glad you’re... you’re okay.”  
  
“I could say the same to you.” He squeezed his hand back, and gave him another tired smile. “Close call, though, huh?”  
  
“Yeah,” Kenma admitted quietly. “If it wasn’t for Bokuto and Akaashi, we would have died.”  
  
Kuroo sighed, and ran his thumb over the back of Kenma’s hand. “Sorry about what happened back there... I messed up--”  
  
“No,” Kenma replied. His tone left no room for argument. “You didn’t. Neither of us did. We did the best we could with what limited intel we got. This wasn’t anyone’s fault.”  
  
“All right, all right.” He relaxed a little, and sighed. “Anyway... how are you? I know that the... the water must’ve been... y’know,” he said, guilt obvious in his eyes.  
  
Kenma was silent for a moment as he considered his answer. “I’m not okay. But I will be eventually.” Faint tremors still shook his hands. “But that’s not important right now. I’m not the one lying in a hospital bed this time, in case you didn’t notice.”  
  
“Oh, how the tables have turned,” Kuroo grinned wryly. “Fine by me... I prefer it this way.”  
  
“That makes one of us,” Kenma replied quietly. Kuroo’s eyes flickered down to his hands for a moment before meeting his gaze once more. “I can’t... I don’t want to lose you.” The too-fresh memory of Kuroo’s blood in the water, the taste of metal and salt in his mouth, flashed through his mind; he squeezed his eyes shut, and took a deep breath to try and steady his nerves. “It’s the worst thing I could ever think of. You’re...” He looked down at his hands, embarrassment buried by raw emotion. “You’re more important to me than anything in the world.”  
  
Kuroo felt his chest ache with fondness and guilt. “Hey. C’mere.”  
  
Kenma looked up at him, confused. “In the bed?”  
  
“Yup. Just like when you were the one hospitalized, remember?” he said with a soft smile. “C’mon.” He scooted over, and Kenma only hesitated for a moment before he carefully climbed up to the spot his partner had made for him.   
  
He pulled the blanket over them both, and made himself comfortable; the familiar touch and warmth of the man beside him helped ease the worst of his lingering nerves. “You know, the staff probably won’t like this.”  
  
“Like I care,” Kuroo laughed. “What’re they gonna do? Kick us out?” he grinned. His smile faded for a moment, into something more serious and adoring as he slowly brought his hand up to touch Kenma’s face. “...I’m glad you’re not hurt.”  
  
The words hit Kenma like a ton of bricks -- it was the exact same thing he’d said to Kuroo six months before, when he took four bullets to save his partner’s life. Slowly, he brought his own hand up to cover Kuroo’s, and let his eyes fall closed as he took a deep, shaky breath.  
  
“...I was...” _Terrified. So scared. So, so scared._ But the words wouldn’t seem to come; he felt like a rock had lodged itself in his throat, and the too-familiar feeling of terror started to wash over him again as he tried to process what had happened to them.  
  
But Kuroo was there, and he was warm, and alive. His thumb trailed over Kenma’s face, and carefully, he leaned over just a little to press a soft kiss against his forehead.  
  
“I know,” he said quietly. “So was I.” He took Kenma’s hand in his own, and placed it on his chest with a tired smile. “Feel that?”  
  
Beneath his fingertips, Kenma could feel the steady pulse of Kuroo’s heart beating in his chest. A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips, and he felt just a little calmer.  
  
“Focus on that,” Kuroo whispered as he closed his eyes. “Just focus on my heartbeat... and rest.”  
  
For the first time since the nightmare of their current case had begun, Kenma felt completely safe and at ease. His eyes slipped shut as Kuroo’s breath softly dusted his cheeks, and his last thought before falling into sleep was:  
  
 _...He kissed me again..._

* * *

“A _hostage?”_   Bokuto groaned. “You’ve gotta be joking... Who is it? It’s not Nanase, is it?”  
  
“No,” Akaashi replied. He finished the last of his coffee, and set the mug next to his laptop. Over near the sink, Lev was making another pot of coffee, and Yaku was sitting beside Akaashi on his own computer, pouring over spreadsheets. “From what we were able to gather, some of Kamiya’s men that weren’t injured in the confrontation took the painting, and grabbed a random guest to take with them as they all evacuated the boat.”  
  
Bokuto plopped into a chair across from his partner, and put his elbows on the desk as he heaved a gigantic sigh. “Ugh. Did they at least ask for a ransom, or give a message? Some kind of condition for release?”  
  
Akaashi shook his head. “Not yet. They’re probably going to hold on to her until they can cover their tracks, and then either let her go or ask for a ransom.”  
  
“But we’re not going to sit around and wait for that,” Yaku added. “Not if I’ve got anything to say about it, anyway.”  
  
“Hey hey heeey, that’s what I like to hear!” Bokuto said with a bright smile. “You sound like you’ve got an idea! Lay it on me!”  
  
Yaku took the mug of coffee that Lev offered him without even looking at the other man. “Thanks, Lev. Anyway, Akaashi and I are trying to figure out exactly where they’re hiding. We might be able to pull off a raid.”  
  
“But rescuing the hostage without risking her life would be difficult,” Akaashi said grimly. “It’s too bad that Kuroo-san is injured. His sniping would be really useful for something like this.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “If we can even figure out where they went, that is.”  
  
“Don’t worry about that. I can handle it,” Yaku insisted. “We’ll find where they’re hiding, and we can figure out what to do from there.”  
  
Twenty hours later, they had a location.

* * *

He couldn’t breathe again.  
  
He was surrounded on all sides by water, and Kuroo floated in front of him, surrounded by a cloud of murky blood that swirled in the ocean like an ominous nebula.  
  
“This is your fault, y’know,” Kuroo whispered through the water. Blood poured out of his mouth as he spoke, and his words seared into Kenma’s mind like sharp knives. “A grave for both of us.”  
  
They sank, further and further, and Kenma couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t _breathe_ , and Kuroo was _bleeding_ and they were both going to _die_ \--  
  
“Kenma!”  
  
His eyes shot open. The hospital room was dark and quiet; Kuroo held him close to his chest, and whispered soothing words into his hair as Kenma tried his best to stop shaking. Cold sweat beaded over his clammy skin, and every time he closed his eyes, he saw the water again, saw Kuroo’s blood in the ocean--  
  
“Hey, hey. Look at me,” Kuroo said softly. He cupped Kenma’s cheek with one warm hand, and brushed away a stray teardrop with his thumb. “We’re safe,” he whispered. “We’re not there anymore. You’re here with me. It’s okay.”  
  
Kenma took a deep, shaky breath, and felt comforted by the air in his lungs and the warmth of his partner beside him. His hand clenched the blanket on top of them, but began to loosen its grasp as he slowly started to relax.  
  
 _I love you,_ he wanted to say. The truth sat on the tip of his tongue, a secret with years of weight behind it. But the words that came out of his mouth were a simple, quiet “thank you” instead.  
  
Kuroo kissed his forehead in reply, and held him close until they both fell asleep again.

* * *

“Hey hey heeey!”  
  
Bokuto’s smile was warm and radiant as he strolled into the hospital room. His face lit up even more when he saw Kenma nestled close to Kuroo in the hospital bed, playing something on his phone. “I see you got pretty comfortable while I was gone!” Bokuto said as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.  
  
Kuroo rolled his eyes, and Kenma gave Bokuto a dirty look. “Did anything new happen?”  
  
“Yep! First, we got your stuff off of the ship. It came back immediately after all the stuff that went down, obviously. Oh, and Yaku managed to track Kamiya to this warehouse about twenty kilometers from the pier! Bastard took a hostage, though,” he frowned. He crossed his arms, and sighed. “We’re planning a raid in the morning! But it’s gonna be tough as hell. Kuroo’s the only really good sniper we have, and you’re probably gonna be bedridden for a while, since you got stabbed.”  
  
Kuroo’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “How badly do you need me, exactly?”  
  
Bokuto shrugged, but he was obviously frustrated. “Man, if you could scope out the hostage and snipe to keep her safe and cause a distraction, it’d be the perfect way for us to get a ground team in without the hostage -- or anyone else -- getting hurt.” He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Akaashi says he’s gonna try and come up with another way, but--”  
  
“I’m in,” Kuroo said immediately.  
  
For a moment, the room was silent as Kenma and Bokuto looked at him in disbelief.  
  
“...Excuse me?” Kenma asked quietly.  
  
“I said, I’m in. We can’t let this guy hurt anyone else, and honestly, I’ve got a score to settle, after he planted a knife in my gut and had one of his lackeys throw you over the side of that stupid boat.”  
  
“That’s great, but in case you forgot, there’s a hole in your abdomen being held together by a few thin pieces of string right now,” Kenma said drily.   
  
Kuroo gave him his best shit eating grin. “So what? I’ll be sniping, not running into a building to do hand-to-hand combat.”  
  
“Seriously? Are you kidding me? You have a _hole_ in your body that  _isn't supposed to be there,_ you shouldn’t be out of bed at _all_ , let alone sniping wanted criminals in a hostage situation,” Bokuto said with clear exasperation. “Akaashi would totally kill me if I let you come. Don’t get me wrong, you’d be great to have on the rest of this case--”  
  
“Then it’s a good thing I’m gonna be there to help you, isn’t it?” Kuroo replied with a serene smile as he hit the Call button at his bedside for the nurse. “We need to take Kamiya down, and do it without hurting someone. So I’m in. I’ll just leave all the groundwork to the rest of 1st Unit. Akaashi won’t be that mad... probably.”  
  
Kenma sighed as he slowly climbed out of the bed, and met Kuroo’s questioning look with a frown of disbelief. “You don’t actually think I’m letting you go alone.” It wasn’t a question. “I’m your partner, Kuro. I’m your spotter when you snipe. And I’m not even injured. If you think I’m staying home for this, you’re out of your mind.”  
  
Kuroo’s answering smile was full of affection. “You’re too good to me.”  
  
Kenma rolled his eyes. “You owe me a new videogame after this.”  
  
A warm feeling radiated through the taller man’s chest. “After this, I’ll give you anything you want.” _Anything at all._

* * *

Akaashi looked surprised when Kuroo and Kenma walked into the office in clean suits, but the shock quickly faded into a look of annoyance that mirrored Yaku’s when Bokuto relayed Kuroo’s intent.  
  
“You’re an idiot,” Akaashi grumbled into his mug of coffee.  
  
“Sooo, I’m not hearing a _‘no, Kuroo, you can’t come’_ ,” Kuroo grinned.  
  
Akaashi glared at him. “I hope you enjoy the two weeks of bedrest that you’ll be getting after this, since you’ll be barred from coming within five kilometers of the office.”  
  
Kuroo’s mouth dropped open in shock. “Whoa, hold on a second, _two weeks_? C’mon, Akaashi, I--”  
  
“You’re lucky he doesn’t make it three. I can’t believe you,” Yaku sighed. “Actually, I totally can. You’re ridiculous.”  
  
“Aw, thank you!”  
  
“In absolutely _no way_   was that a compliment. Not even _remotely_ ,” Yaku promised. “Shut up and sit down.”  
  
“Yes sir!” Kuroo grinned as he took a seat and kicked his feet up onto the long table in the center of the room. Kenma took a seat beside him and opened up his laptop. “So, what’s the game plan?”  
  
Akaashi gave him a level look over the top of his own laptop screen. “Well, now that you’ve inserted yourself into the operation, things just got a lot less complicated.” He turned his computer around so that everyone could see his screen. “This is the warehouse that they’re hiding in. And this is a building right across from it.”  
  
Kuroo whistled. “Wow. Are they on a higher level of the warehouse?”  
  
“Yeah. It won’t be difficult for you to get a clear shot. Far from it -- the building across is perfect for a sniping perch,” Akaashi explained. “The place you’ll be sniping from is unoccupied; it’s a for-sale property. The warehouse is actually owned by Kamiya.” He touched his screen, and brought up a map. “This is where a ground team is going to operate from.”  
  
“You should split into groups,” Kenma suggested as he pointed at the screen. “Those are back entrances, right? Kuro and I can snipe to create a disturbance. And then you can all enter, and pincer them in to take advantage of the chaos. With all the exits covered, they won’t have anywhere to go.”  
  
“Good point,” Akaashi conceded. “We can split the ground team into three groups, then, and have regular members of the police department support each one. Bokuto-san and I will lead the point team going into the main entrance. Yaku-san and Lev can take the first exit, and we’ll have Konoha and Washio cover the final one.”  
  
Bokuto ruffled his hair with a bright smile. “Sounds good, Vice-Captain!”  
  
Akaashi gave him an irritated look. “Have you heard anything from Nanase, by the way?”  
  
“Nope!” Lev replied brightly. “She said that she was in shock and would be going home to rest!”  
  
“That’s reasonable. We should be able to recover the painting that Kamiya stole from her. At least, I hope so.” Akaashi sighed as he turned his laptop back around and got comfortable in his seat once again. “Though that’s no guarantee it’ll go back to her, depending on what the artist has to say about it.”  
  
Bokuto hummed thoughtfully. “So, when do you wanna start this whole thing?!”  
  
“Darkness will give us better cover outside, in the event that they have any lookouts. And they probably do,” Kenma reasoned. “It’ll be a double-edged sword for Kuro and I, since we won’t be able to check our surroundings as well. But we should be fine.”  
  
Kuroo nodded in agreement. “Yep. Your eyes are sharp. That’s why you’re my spotter, after all,” he said with a fond grin as he fondly bumped his shoulder into Kenma’s. “I’m not worried about that. Let’s do this at night.”  
  
Akaashi stood up to get more coffee. “Well, in that case, let’s prepare.”

* * *

Kuroo parked in a secluded area of an abandoned parking lot, and turned off the engine. He took a deep breath before he unbuckled his seatbelt, and slowly got out of the car.  
  
Kenma moved with him, quiet and efficient as he pulled his small spotter’s scope from his blazer. “Are you ready?” he whispered quietly. “Is your bulletproof vest okay?”  
  
“Yep. Got the hole in my gut bandaged up nice and pretty. Don’t worry about it,” he winked as he pulled his rifle from the backseat and hoisted it over his shoulder.  
  
Kenma rolled his eyes as he tightened his grip on his semi-automatic assault rifle. “Been a while since I’ve used one of these...”  
  
“Well, hopefully you won’t actually need to use it, right?” Kuroo smiled. “Just in case, you know. Big guns for dangerous guys. C’mon, let’s get going.”  
  
After a quick adjustment to his earpiece, Kenma nodded in agreement, and they set off.  
  
The empty building across from the warehouse was dark and eerily quiet in the early evening. The last vestiges of dusk were beginning to fade from the sky as Kuroo picked a lock to an old, rusted door, and the two detectives slipped inside.  
  
“Are you in position?”  Akaashi asked over their headsets.  
  
“Not yet,” Kenma replied quietly. “We just entered the building. Give us at least ten more minutes to get set up. Is the surrounding area cleared out?”  
  
“Yeah. Well, Yaku-san did find a lookout, but Lev panicked and knocked him unconscious, so we haven’t been able to question him...” Akaashi sighed. “Let me know when you reach a good spot, and tell us when you’re about to make the shot.”  
  
“Roger that,” Kuroo said as the two partners began to climb a winding staircase.  
  
Several floors later, Kenma cautiously peeked out of a window. “Is this the floor Akaashi told us about?”  
  
“Eighth, yeah. I should be able to get a clear shot into the level of the warehouse where they were spotted earlier.” Kuroo scratched at his chin, and shifted the rifle on his back. “Gotta be a balcony nearby...”  
  
“Over there.” Kenma led the way to a small side door, and eased it open after he unlocked it.  
  
The balcony area was small, and sure enough, it was almost exactly level with the windows into the warehouse. Carefully, Kuroo eased the sniper rifle off of his shoulder, and Kenma helped ease him into position.  
  
“Are you okay?” he asked.  
  
“Yeah, yeah. Don’t worry about me,” Kuroo replied as he checked the scope on his weapon. “Damn, this is gonna be a pretty easy shot. We’re only, what... 125 yards away, if that?”  
  
“Something like that, yeah. Let me make sure.” He fished a spotter’s scope from his pocket, and moved to the other end of the balcony to peer through the lens. “Akaashi, we’re on the eighth floor now. Kuro’s lining up his shot,” Kenma said over the headset. “We’re scoping the warehouse out right now.”  
  
“Understood. Kamiya and his men should be on the appropriate floor; Yaku-san had Konoha do recon about fifteen minutes ago,” Akaashi said.  
  
Kenma hummed in response. “...Yeah. I see them.” Sure enough, there was a blindfolded woman tied up to a chair, and Kamiya standing next to her. “This shot won’t be difficult. Give us two more minutes to prepare.”  
  
“Okay. Let me know when you’re about to fire. We’re going to get into position,” Akaashi replied.  
  
Kenma peered through his scope as Kuroo did the same. “The wind isn’t going to be much of a hindrance,” Kenma said quietly. “It’s blowing from the northwest at about three kilometers per hour. Adjust your zoom for 132 yards.”  
  
“You got it,” Kuroo replied as he made the necessary changes to his settings.   
  
While he did that, Kenma took another look around at their surroundings. _We seem to be safe, at least._ His weapon was heavy in his free hand as he looked through his scope once more. “Are you ready, Kuro?”  
  
“If the ground team’s ready, I’m taking the shot in about thirty seconds, unless he moves,” he whispered. “I just need to focus it now.”  
  
“We’re ready when you are,” Akaashi reported. “Everyone’s in position.”  
  
“Roger that.” Kuroo peered through his scope, and lined the crosshairs up with Kamiya. _Focus._ He slowed his breathing, and paid attention to every detail, right down to the way the scope shifted slightly with each beat of his heart. _If I adjust for the wind... the recoil... and the distance... right..._  
  
 _There!_  
  
As his finger tightened on the trigger, Kenma’s attention was pulled from his own scope by the sound of the door opening behind them.  
  
Kuroo’s rifle fired just as Kenma turned and raised his own weapon--  
  
Only to find a gun pointed directly at his face.

* * *

_to be continued in chapter 6_

 


	6. Chapter 6

Kenma tensed, and for a moment, his finger twitched against the trigger of his weapon.  
  
After a split second of consideration, just enough to seem surprised, he lowered it carefully. “Hello, Nanase-san.”  
  
“Oh! Aren’t you Akane-kun…? I see, you must have been the undercover officers on the cruise.” She lowered her revolver, and the three bodyguards flanking her lowered their weapons as well. “It’s nice to meet you face to face without false pretenses, Detective! I’m just sorry that the situation isn’t a bit better.”  
  
Kenma nodded, and turned back to Kuroo. “Did you hit him?”  
  
“Yeah.” He touched his headset. “Akaashi, Kamiya is down! Go! I’ll cover the window until you reach the floor to make sure the hostage isn’t hurt!”  
  
“Already on it! Meet us as soon as you can!”  
  
Kenma glanced at Nanase and her three bodyguards a bit warily, but put on a pleasant smile. “What are you doing here, Nanase-san? We heard you were in shock and staying home.”  
  
She nodded. “At first, yes. But we thought we might try to do a bit of our own reconnaissance in hopes of recovering the paintings that Kamiya Jun stole from me,” she said gravely. “But I have to say, I wasn’t expecting to meet you here! Do you mind if we tag along? Perhaps we could work together!”  
  
“Sure, if you want. We don’t have time to discuss the dangers -- we need to move immediately. Our ground teams are in action, and we need to rejoin with them. Please be careful.” He turned and knelt next to Kuroo when the other detective began to attempt to stand, and assisted him by offering an arm for support.  
  
Kuroo grunted, and winced as he shakily got to his feet. _Damn. The painkiller’s not cutting it. I could use some more..._  
  
“Of course! We’ll lead the way out; it was clear when we came in.” She glanced at Kuroo curiously as he took a deep breath and held his side. “Are you all right, Detective?”  
  
Kuroo gave her a carefree grin. “I’m right as rain, Nanase-san.” He looked over at Kenma, who was quickly typing something on his phone, and glanced at his screen for a moment before nodding at Nanase. “Lead the way, then. We might be a bit slow, since I was injured on your cruise.”  
  
Immediately, the bodyguards opened the door; two took point, and Nanase hung back with the last one as they all began making their way down the long, winding staircase. “I heard you were hurt when I spoke to another member of your unit… I’m terribly sorry,” she said quietly. “Please, don’t hesitate to let me know if there’s anything I can do to make it up to you after we finish up here.”  
  
Kuroo shrugged, and adjusted the sniper rifle on his back. “Not your fault, right? I’ll be fine. Right now, we need to make sure our unit is doing okay.” His grin was cocky. “Not that I’m particularly worried. The raid on the warehouse is being led by the best of the best.”  
  
Nanase nodded, and smiled. “All right. Let’s be on our way, then.”

* * *

As soon as the sound of Kuroo’s fire rang through the air, they moved.  
  
Bokuto, Lev, and Washio kicked open the doors in front of them and ran inside with their partners and several members of the police department behind them. The sounds of screaming echoed from several floors above as they stormed up the stairs with their weapons out, and their hearts roared in their ears as they focused on the task before them with adrenaline surging through their veins. Seconds felt like hours as their feet pounded against the floor until they finally reached the seventh level, and they burst into the room with Kamiya and his men with fire in their eyes.  
  
“Freeze!” Bokuto roared.  
  
Kamiya was already ducked under the window, clutching uselessly at his chest while blood spilled between his fingers. Several of his men that were standing nearby turned in shock with their weapons up, but stopped as soon as they realized they were completely surrounded.  
  
“Don’t move!” Konoha yelled. “You’re all under arrest! ...Seriously, man, don’t go for that gun or you’re gonna regret it,” he promised a smuggler in the corner of the room.  
  
The members of 1st Unit went to work with the help of the regular police officers that had come with them. It didn’t take long to handcuff everyone; they put up no resistance at all since Kamiya was on the ground, crying quietly as he attempted to stifle the flow of blood from his new wound.  
  
“Paramedics are on the way,” Bokuto said as he slipped handcuffs around the man’s wrists. “I’d feel bad for you, but honestly, you’re an asshole.” He tightened the cuffs, and sighed. “You’re lucky Kuroo didn’t put that bullet through your head, after what your guys did to Kenma.” The glint in his eyes became just a little more dangerous. “And honestly, you’re lucky that I’m not going to, either.”

* * *

The trip out of the abandoned building was awkward and agonizingly slow. By the time they reached the fourth floor, Kuroo was leaning heavily on Kenma, and had to stop for a moment to reach into his blazer for a pill in his pocket.  
  
He swallowed it dry while Nanase watched him curiously. “Are you feeling well?” she asked. “Shouldn’t we keep moving?”  
  
“Sorry for the inconvenience,” Kuroo said sarcastically as he adjusted the arm he had around Kenma’s shoulders. “Didn’t mean to get a hole in my gut on that ship of yours.”  
  
Nanase put a hand over her mouth and shook her head. “I’m terribly sorry, Detective Kuroo. I meant no disrespect. Please, after this is over, I absolutely must find a way to make this up to you. Perhaps you should stay behind while we enter the warehouse?”  
  
“Don’t worry about it,” he said casually. “I’m tougher than I look, y’know. Let’s go.”  
  
They continued, with Kuroo and Kenma taking up the back. Kenma’s eyes watched Nanase and her guards carefully, and Kuroo gave him a curious, calculating glance. _He figured something out,_ the injured man thought to himself. _I know what he’s up to, but I’m not sure why he’s doing it..._ A smile quirked at his lips despite the haze of pain. _That’s Kenma for you. Always two steps ahead,_ he thought with pride.  
  
“Where are you?” Akaashi asked breathlessly over the headset.  
  
“We’re leaving the building now. Sorry, my tummy hurts,” Kuroo chuckled. “We’ll be there in a couple minutes or so.”  
  
“No rush,” Akaashi replied. “We’ve managed to cuff all of the suspects. Kamiya is alive, but he’s fallen unconscious. You hit him right next to the place you stabbed him the other day, actually...”  
  
Kuroo’s smirk was full of satisfaction. “Good.” Nanase turned to look at him curiously. “Oh, sorry, Nanase-san. I’m talking to my vice-captain.”  
  
“Oh!” she smiled. “I figured it was something like that. Will we be meeting up in the other building?”  
  
“Yep. Hey, Akaashi, now that you aren’t as busy, I can ask -- mind if Nanase-san and her boys come in with us? They wanna take a look around to see if they can find the stuff Kamiya took from the cruise.”  
  
Akaashi didn’t answer right away, and Kuroo could practically feel the gears turning in Kenma’s mind. “That’s fine,” Akaashi said after a moment. “Meet us on the seventh floor. Bokuto-san will be here with me, but we’ll have the other officers leave to take care of Kamiya and his men.”  
  
“Gotcha. He says it’s fine. No problem,” Kuroo told Nanase as one of her guards opened the door leading out. “We can try and help you find that stuff.”  
  
“You’re not going to be doing anything other than sitting down,” Kenma said sternly. His tone left no room for argument. “Seven people will be more than enough to search.”  
  
“He’s right, Detective Kuroo,” Nanase said kindly. “You shouldn’t strain yourself! Recovery is important... I’d be devastated if you hurt yourself any more on my behalf.”  
  
Kuroo shrugged. “All right, all right. I’ll take it easy once we get inside. Yes, I’m still going in. I can’t leave my partner all alone at the very end of a mission, can I?” he asked Kenma with a playful wink. Kenma just sighed deeply in response, and Nanase giggled behind her hand.  
  
“You’re such a handful,” Kenma complained as he adjusted the arm Kuroo had over his shoulder. “I take back what I said before about you owing me a videogame. You owe me _two_ videogames after this.”  
  
“ _Two?_   Can you even play two at the same time?”  
  
“And apple pie donuts. And a real apple pie, too.” He paused for a moment in thought. “Actually, two apple pies. Two of everything.”  
  
“C’mon, you’re gonna bleed me dry,” Kuroo joked. “Not that I need any help with that. Hey, I’m just kidding, don’t glare at me like that. I’ll buy you anything you want, even if my bank account is crying at the thought of it.”  
  
“You’re not even broke,” Kenma said. “Besides, I’m saving for something.”  
  
“What, seriously? Is _that_ why you’ve been extra demanding lately?” Kuroo grinned. “What the hell are you saving for, anyway?”  
  
“None of your business,” Kenma replied tartly.  
  
Ahead of them, Nanase laughed again. “You two certainly are close, aren’t you?” she asked with a pleasant smile. “Have you worked together for a long time?”  
  
“Unfortunately,” Kenma said drily as they finally left the building. A small smile tugged at his lips, though, when Kuroo gave him a playful pout. “For several years. We’re childhood friends.”  
  
“Yes indeed. I’m a lucky man,” Kuroo said serenely. “Even if I’ve got a big hole in my stomach.”  
  
The perimeter of the area was quiet; most of the officers and Special Investigations were gone. Lev and Yaku were the only people still there; they were leaning against the side of their car, and jogged over when they caught sight of the group coming towards them.  
  
“Hey, how’re you holding up?” Yaku asked Kuroo. “You look kinda pale.”  
  
Kuroo shrugged as much as he could, with Kenma still supporting him. “Well, I’ve been worse. That’s gotta count for something, right?”  
  
Yaku didn’t look impressed. “No, definitely not. Akaashi was right, you’re kind of an idiot sometimes -- no. Puppy eyes won’t work on me. I’ve become totally immune to them since I have to spend so much time around Lev.”  
  
“Hey!” Lev objected. “I don’t have puppy eyes, Yaku-san! This is just my face!”  
  
Yaku elbowed him in the side, and Lev yelped a little and pouted. Kuroo laughed at them, and gave them a lazy salute. “See you lovebirds back at the office. Go get all the paperwork ready for us?”  
  
“Shut up,” Yaku grumbled as his blush reached the tips of his ears. “Keep talking like that, and I’ll send it right to your apartment.” He turned to open the drivers side door of his car, but then paused to say one final thing. “And be careful until you get back to us, okay? Don’t get hurt again.”  
  
Kuroo’s smile was teasing, but genuine. “Sure thing, dad.” Yaku rolled his eyes in reply, and got into the car; Lev waved at Kuroo and Kenma with a bright smile before he joined his partner, and a moment later, they sped off into the sunset.  
  
 _Feels like we’re walking right into a trap,_ Kuroo thought as he spared a quick glance to his partner’s face. Kenma’s expression gave nothing away; he seemed perfectly calm, but Kuroo could tell the smaller man’s mind was working at a million miles an hour, and he was on high alert. _Well, I guess we kind of are. But we know it, at least, and Kenma’s taken precautions… heh. Not too many people I’d walk right into trouble for, but… for him, I’d run right into the deepest pits of hell._  
  
One of Nanase’s guards opened the door to the warehouse, and held it for her and the detectives. “After you,” he said gruffly.  
  
“Thanks,” Kuroo said with a smile. He and Kenma followed Nanase inside. The walls were cracked, and cobwebs hung from the ceiling. All of it was unpainted concrete, clearly uncared for. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say this place was abandoned,” Kuroo muttered. “Though, I guess that’s probably kind of the point...”  
  
Kenma pointed towards the other end of the large, open room, about fifty yards away. “There’s an elevator,” he said. “Probably operational, if Kamiya and his men have been here for a while. We can take that instead of the stairs.”  
  
“Excellent! Let’s go, then,” Nanase said enthusiastically. Her black heels clicked against the concrete floor as she crossed the area, and her three guards followed her and the two detectives. Kuroo and Kenma’s pace was still agonizingly slow; once they finally got the elevator and stood inside, Kuroo slumped against the wall, his breathing heavy and uneven.  
  
“Hey, are you okay?” Kenma asked, obviously concerned. “Do you need to sit down?”  
  
“Nope, I’m fine. Absolutely great.” It was an obvious, painful lie. “That two weeks of bedrest is just starting to sound really nice, I guess.” One of the guards hit the button for the seventh floor, and Kuroo winced again. “Ugh. Weird that we’re going to the seventh floor, right? I’m glad the shot lined up easy, even though the floors are different heights in the two buildings.”  
  
Kenma frowned, and ignored the question. “You don’t actually need to be here for this part. Why didn’t you just wait in the car?”  
  
Kuroo smiled, but there was a steely glint in his eyes. “I go where you go. I’m not leaving you until we get this case wrapped up... even if there isn’t much left to do,” he added. _I would absolutely kiss him right now if Nanase and her guards weren’t here..._ “Just put up with me for a few more minutes, okay? Then we can go home and you can abuse my credit card all you want.”  
  
Kenma rolled his eyes. “I’m not buying _that_ much. Give me a break.” The elevator reached the seventh floor a moment later, and the doors opened with a soft _ding._  
  
The room was a mess. Kamiya’s blood was splattered on the floor and the wall amongst the broken glass of the window Kuroo had shot through, and several chairs and a table had been overturned in the ensuing chaos. But it was quiet, despite the appearance, and Bokuto and Akaashi were casually leaning against the wall like they didn’t have a care in the world.  
  
“Nice to see you again. Well, one of you, at least,” Akaashi said dryly. “You look like you’ve had better days, Kuroo-san. I might insist on three weeks of rest after all.”  
  
Kuroo sighed heavily. “All right, all right. I won’t argue. Hey, by the way, this is Nanase-san.”  
  
“It’s a pleasure to meet face to face,” she said warmly as she walked forward to shake Bokuto’s hand. “I’m sorry for troubling you so much with all of this. Detective Kuroo mentioned you’d be helping us find the stolen items?”  
  
Bokuto’s smile was radiant. “Hey, no problem! Yep, we’re gonna help ya out. I’m Bokuto, and this is Akaashi!”  
  
“Nice to meet you, Nanase-san,” Akaashi said coolly. “Kenma, Bokuto-san and I can search the east side of this room, and you and your guards could start on the west, if you’d like? Kuroo-san will have a seat, of course.”  
  
“That sounds perfect,” Nanase said with a serene smile. “Thank you so much again for all of your help!”  
  
“Think nothing of it,” Akaashi said politely. “Come on, Bokuto-san. Let’s get Kuroo seated before we begin.”  
  
With Bokuto and Akaashi’s help, Kenma managed to get Kuroo seated in the chair the hostage had been sitting in before. “Hey, this is where that girl was sitting... spooky. Was she all right, by the way?” Kuroo asked. “The ropes they had her bound with looked kinda tight through my scope.”  
  
Akaashi stretched his arms over his head. “She’ll be fine. A little bruised and shaken, but otherwise unharmed.” He squinted at several boxes along the walls. “...Do you think they’d keep a valuable painting in a box?”  
  
“Who knows?” Bokuto asked with a shrug. “C’mon, let’s start looking! The sooner we find ‘em, the sooner we can go home!”  
  
Kenma walked over to one of the large boxes, and scrutinized it carefully before he pulled a knife from the inside of his blazer. Carefully, he sliced the top of the box, and opened it to look inside. “...No paintings here,” he said after a moment. “Lots of guns, though.”  
  
“Damn, this one’s got a ton of drugs. Even if we don’t find the art, we’ve got enough to put this guy away for a long, long time,” Bokuto mumbled as he looked through a box nearby. “Honestly, he’s lucky he’s even alive right now, after Kuroo hit him in the chest with a knife and a bullet in the span of two days.”  
  
“This one has weapons too,” Akaashi said with a sigh. “I have a feeling the paintings might not be in boxes, let alone on this floor. Searching could take a while... though, if we leave right away, some of his men that weren’t present might come back and take them before they can be recovered.” He glanced over at Bokuto. “Do you have any ideas, Bokuto-san?”  
  
“Nope,” he said sullenly as he peeked into another box. “Our best bet is probably just combing through every floor of the building, right?”  
  
Akaashi sighed and opened another box. “Unfortunately, yes. This really might take a while... We should probably get someone else to come in and help, or at least get Kuroo-san back to the hospital.” He glanced over at Kenma before he opened another box. “I’m guessing you’ll go with him, right?”  
  
“Yeah,” Kenma replied as he wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. “I can drive him back, at least, so we don’t have to bother calling an ambulance or whatever.”  
  
“Fortunately or unfortunately for you, that won’t be necessary,” Nanase said.  
  
Kenma reached for the assault rifle on his hip as he, Bokuto and Akaashi turned to see Nanase pressing a handgun to the side of Kuroo’s head; the detective was still seated with a sour look on his face. Her three bodyguards stood beside her, and each one was pointing a revolver at the three detectives that were standing.  
  
Nanase’s smile was cold and devoid of kindness. “My apologies. You might as well lower your weapon, Detective. This is the end of the line.”  
  
But Kenma’s gun didn’t waver at all. A small smile tugged at his lips as his eyes glinted with satisfaction. “I don’t think so, Nanase-san.”  
  
She gave him an incredulous look. “Detective, I’m giving you the option of a quick death, or perhaps a bargain. You can’t possibly think you can fight your way out of this on your own terms.” She pushed the gun just a little bit harder against Kuroo’s head. “Or do you not care if your partner gets a bullet in his skull?”  
  
“You’re the one that doesn’t have any room to maneuver out of this,” Kenma replied coolly. His smile grew just a little wider. “Unfortunately for you, you’re surrounded.”  
  
Confusion flickered over Nanase’s face, and doubt twisted at her expression. “What are you talking about? We’re the ones with the upper hand--”  
  
A familiar voice echoed from behind a nearby door. “Police! Lower your weapons!” Yaku shouted. “Drop them! You’re surrounded on all sides!”  
  
Nanase’s face went pale at the unmistakable sound of the safety being turned off of several guns nearby, and Kenma’s eyes glittered with a sense of victory.  
  
“Sorry,” he said, “but it looks like I outsmarted you.”

* * *

_to be continued in chapter 7 -- finale_


	7. Chapter 7

Nanase’s weapon fell from her fingers, and clattered to the floor as all three doors in the room simultaneously opened. A moment later, the other members of 1st Unit entered with their revolvers in the air and several officers behind each of them.  
  
“How?” she asked, bewildered and angry. “How did you--”  
  
“You’re a very good actress,” Kenma said. “But there was no reason for you to be here personally, armed with guns, unless you had some kind of unlawful stake in this whole thing.” He strapped his assault rifle back to his hip as Konoha took hold of Nanase’s arms and handcuffed her. “I’m betting if we look around this warehouse enough, we’ll find out that Kamiya’s tip about you smuggling wasn’t to frame you after all -- I bet you _were_ stealing. Probably from him, which is why he was so mad about it.”  
  
Her eyes were stormy as Lev, Washio and Yaku began leading her bodyguards out of the room behind her. “How did you call for help without us noticing?” she seethed. “We were with you the _entire time_ before now, when--”  
  
Kenma smiled again. “About five seconds after you said hello in the other building.” He took his phone out of his pocket and wiggled it, then shrugged. “I texted Yaku and told him that I thought you were up to something, and to sneak in after we entered the warehouse. Easy.” He waved as Konoha turned her around, and led her from the room. “Bye.”  
  
“That was great,” Kuroo wheezed. “I’m not being sarcastic at all, it was. But also, I might need to go back to the hospital.”  
  
Kenma rolled his eyes, and helped Kuroo to his feet. “Come on. I’ll drive you.”  
  
“C’mon, we’ll help you get to the car!” Bokuto beamed. “And then Akaashi and I can clean up the rest of this case with the other guys! You two earned some rest.” He ruffled Kenma’s hair and led the way out of the room, and was sure to keep a slow and easy pace so that Kuroo and Kenma could keep up.  
  
It took almost ten minutes to get back to their car, and by the time Kuroo was seated, he was breathing heavily and clutching his side as Kenma buckled his partner’s seatbelt. “Are you okay?” he asked quietly.  
  
“Never been better,” Kuroo smiled weakly. “I, uh... think I might’ve reopened the wound.”  
  
Kenma made a noise of disgust, and jogged over to the driver’s side. “Sorry, I’ll keep in touch,” he promised Bokuto and Akaashi as he buckled his own seatbelt. “I’ll try to come back in when I know Kuro’s okay--”  
  
“Nah, don’t worry about it!” Bokuto smiled. “I did say you _both_ earned rest, didn’t I? Kuroo’s not the only one that has three weeks off, y’know!” He shut the door, and gave Kenma a thumbs up along with his most cheerful grin. “Get going, no arguments! Text me when you get there, okay?!” He waved, and ran off with Akaashi’s hand in his before Kenma had the chance to object.  
  
With a small smile, he started the engine, and looked over at Kuroo, who seemed weak, but happy. “Let’s get you taken care of,” he said softly.  
  
Kuroo’s smile was full of unmasked adoration. “My hero.”

* * *

Kenma refused to let him get out of the car on his own, and Kuroo found himself carted back into the hospital on a stretcher.  
  
The same nurse that had helped them before came into the room shortly after Kuroo was brought in, only to find Kenma snuggled up to him in the bed once more; Kuroo was fast asleep, and snoring softly.  
  
“He insisted,” Kenma explained calmly. The nurse just shook her head in response, and promised to return with water for him.  
  
Before long, Kenma drifted to sleep as well, with Kuroo’s hand held loosely in his own.

* * *

_> so, looks like you were right!!_  
  
Kenma glanced at his phone; Bokuto had sent him a text.  
  
 _> turns out nanase stole that painting from kamiya first (°◇°;)_  
 _> and he was trying to get it back!! but he stole it from the original artist_  
 _> they’ve basically been stealing back and forth from each other! ⊙△⊙_  
  
A frown twisted at Kenma’s mouth. _So he stole the painting, and then she stole it from him, and he tipped us off to put the heat on her while he tried to steal it back... and then she followed us to the warehouse to try and steal it again._  
  
He looked over at Kuroo, who was still sleeping soundly beside him. _All of this, over a stupid painting..._ He glanced back at his phone, and typed out a quick reply to Bokuto before closing his cell. He pulled the blanket up to his chin, and began to drift off once more.  
  
 _At least it’s finally over._

* * *

Kuroo was in the hospital for two nights before he was released, and he’d spent most of it asleep and full of painkillers.  
  
Carefully, Kenma led him back to the car. Their pace was slow all the way to the parking lot, and Kuroo reached for the driver’s side door for a moment until Kenma gave him a sour look. “Fine, fine,” he sighed. He got into the passenger seat; a few moments later, they were both buckled up and ready to go. As soon as Kenma started the engine, Kuroo’s hand shot forward to fiddle with the radio dial, and enka began playing from the speakers.  
  
“Not this again,” Kenma grumbled. “Why don’t you play something you actually like?”  
  
Kuroo grinned. “I like enka -- okay, okay, stop frowning so hard.” He picked up an audio cord and hooked his phone up to it, and a few seconds later, a catchy pop song began to play.  
  
Kenma rolled his eyes as Kuroo began to enthusiastically sing along with absolutely no sense of shame. “Have you even watched the show this is from?”  
  
“Nope,” he replied with a serene smile. “I just know it’s one of Bokuto’s favorites.”  
  
“The words don’t even make sense,” Kenma said. “Half of it is actually nonsense.”  
  
Kuroo’s smile made his eyes crinkle, and Kenma felt his heart flutter a bit as he tried to focus on the road. “Doesn’t matter, it’s still catchy! Plus, I know you like my singing anyway. Don’t even try to deny it, I can tell you’re trying really hard not to smile right now.”  
  
Despite himself, a smile broke out over Kenma’s face then, and he stubbornly focused on the road ahead and absolutely refused to look over at Kuroo, even when he stopped at a red light. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, though his eyes still glittered with mirth. “Your singing is as bad as your hair.”  
  
Kuroo put a hand to his chest in mock hurt. “Wow, rude. Every day, I feel less and less bad about warning Akaashi that you have a mean streak when he first joined.”  
  
Kenma rolled his eyes as he accelerated. “I’d ask if you really did that, but I already know the answer.” He was quiet for a second as he thought. “...Not that it matters, anyway. I get along really well with Akaashi.”  
  
“Yeah, he’s your favorite, right? Well, after me, of course,” Kuroo grinned. “You clicked really well.”  
  
“I don’t have favorites,” Kenma replied coolly, “but if I did, you definitely wouldn’t be at the top of the list.”  
  
“Lying doesn’t suit you,” Kuroo teased. He reclined his seat a bit, and put his arms behind his head. “But that’s okay, I know the truth.”  
  
Kenma smiled to himself as he slowed down to let a cat cross the street, but didn’t reply.

* * *

_> make your move today!! ~(⁰▿⁰)~_  
  
Kuroo glared at the text that Bokuto had sent him just as Kenma pulled into their spot in the parking lot of their apartment complex. _Well... I guess tonight would be the perfect opportunity, right?_ He stole a glance over at his partner, and felt a familiar, pleasant warmth radiate in his chest. _Yeah... Bokuto’s as subtle as ever, but I think he’s got the right idea. Tonight’s the night._  
  
He closed his phone as Kenma shut the engine off, and together, they slowly made their way back into the apartment complex. Kenma watched him carefully in the elevator, and Kuroo could tell his partner was thinking about something -- but he wasn’t sure exactly what.  
  
 _I’m not wrong. I know I’m not. So why the hell am I so nervous?_ Kuroo thought as the elevator slowly moved upward. Finally, it opened as it reached their floor, and Kenma took the lead to open up the door to their apartment--  
  
\--Only to see an absurdly large bouquet of red roses sitting on the counter near the entrance.  
  
“...Where are those from?” Kenma asked slowly as he slipped his shoes off and walked towards the flowers.  
  
Kuroo was pretty sure he knew, and he was already cursing the captain of 1st Unit in his head as he took his shoes off. “Beats me. Damn, how much did that cost?”  
  
“There’s a note,” Kenma said. He wrinkled his nose a little as he picked it off the side; the bouquet was at least fifty centimeters wide. He unfolded the paper in his hands, and after a moment, a large smile spread over his face as he hid his laughter behind his hand. “Wow.”  
  
Kuroo narrowed his eyes, and plucked it from his partner’s hands. “What does it say -- oh my _god_ , really?”  
  
 _To Kenma, from Kuroo-san in spirit, but Bokuto-san told me to buy these. Sorry about him._  
 ** _\--Akaashi Keiji_**  
 _P.S. - Sorry for intruding. He gave me the emergency key that Kuroo-san gave him a while ago... he said this “definitely counts as an emergency”. Anyway, please enjoy this tremendously large amount of flowers, and try to have a nice three weeks off. Stay in touch._  
  
Kuroo’s face was as red as the roses as he tossed the note back on the counter and turned away. “I might actually murder him. I’m sorry, Kenma. I’m going to jail forever because I have to kill my best friend.”  
  
Kenma was still laughing a little as he plucked a rose from the bunch and followed Kuroo over to his room, his bag of belongings from the hospital tucked neatly under one arm. “Please don’t kill Bokuto. Akaashi would probably be really sad, and it would be annoying if I had to find another roommate.”  
  
“Ohoho, so is that all I am to you?” Kuroo asked teasingly as he flipped the light on in his room and shrugged off his coat. “A way to split the bills?”  
  
Kenma sat the bag down on the floor, and sat on the bed as he twirled the rose between his fingers. “Well, I guess you have other uses, too.” He smiled as Kuroo sat beside him, and his eyes gleamed with subdued mirth. “You’re easy to laugh at, so that’s pretty nice.”  
  
“As charming as ever, huh?” Kuroo grinned as he ruffled Kenma’s hair. Kenma gave him an unimpressed look, but Kuroo’s smile just grew wider. “All right, all right, I’ll lay off the hair. For now, anyway.”  
  
“Whatever. You need to lay down, anyway.” He was unmoved by the pout that Kuroo gave him. “I’m not taking you back to the hospital, so don’t reopen your wound again.”  
  
Kuroo leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, and stared at the wall ahead of him. “All right, all right. I’ll rest. But... first, maybe we should talk about something. Or a few things, really.” He felt his pulse quicken as soon as the words spilled out of his mouth. _No going back now._ “And I’m pretty sure you know what it’s about.”  
  
Kenma nodded, and felt his cheeks grow warm. _No getting around it after the dozens of roses. But I planned on doing this anyway, so... might as well get it over with._ “...Yeah. I wanted to talk to you... about some things, anyway. But I figured the hospital probably wasn’t the best place to do it, especially since you were asleep most of the time, and high on painkillers when you weren’t.”  
  
“Oh?” Kuroo smiled. He leaned back a little with his hands on the mattress. “Sounds like we had the same idea.”  
  
Kenma rolled his eyes, and smiled briefly, but it was soon lost to nervousness. He still wouldn’t meet Kuroo’s eyes. “I just... don’t want to ruin what we have. Our friendship, I mean... it’s bad enough if other people think I’m weird, but I don’t want _you_ to feel that way. So I’ve never said anything.” He twirled the rose between his fingers some more as his heartbeat became too loud in his ears, and the stem of the flower became slightly bruised as he held it too tightly. “But all that stuff on the boat... I wasn’t pretending, Kuro. I... love you, and I’ve loved you for a long time.”  
  
Kuroo was quiet for a moment as he leaned forward, and without hesitation, he wrapped his arms around Kenma from the side and rested his head against his shoulder. A feeling of relief sat heavy in his throat and burned at his eyes. “I love you too,” he said, quiet and just slightly breathless. “None of that was acting on my part, either. I’m good, but I’m not _that_ good,” he laughed weakly. “I love you too. A hell of a lot.”  
  
“...Yeah, I know.” Kenma’s eyes nearly glowed with happiness as he finally met Kuroo’s gaze. “...We’re both pretty oblivious, aren’t we.”  
  
“No wonder Bokuto’s been tearing his hair out about it, right?” Kuroo’s grin faded to a genuine, warm smile, unguarded and full of adoration. “So... since we got that out of the way, and there’s no false pretenses this time... is it okay if I kiss you for real?”  
  
“Are you saying the other ones weren’t real?”  
  
Kuroo groaned and rolled his eyes. “Oh my god, we just confessed to each other after years of unresolved sexual tension and you’re _still_ being sarcastic--”  
  
He abruptly stopped talking when Kenma lightly touched his thigh and leaned in closer. “Well, are you going to come over here, or what?” he asked with a small smile.  
  
Kuroo’s entire face lit up with joy. “As you wish.”  
  
Gently, he brought one hand up to cup Kenma’s cheek, and tried to ignore the slight tremor in his fingertips. Kenma’s eyes were wide with anticipation, and his breath ghosted over Kuroo’s face as the injured detective leaned in closer and closer, until he finally closed the remaining distance between them.  
  
Kenma’s lips were warm and soft against his, and tasted like the berry chapstick he’d put on as they left the hospital. Kuroo pressed in, gentle and careful, and Kenma returned the kiss in kind as his heart fluttered wildly in his chest.  
  
Kuroo’s blood felt like fire as he pulled away, slightly breathless but clearly delighted. “That was... wow. Definitely wow.”  
  
“...Yeah,” Kenma agreed, just a little shy. “It’s a lot better when we don’t think it’s all acting.” He smiled up at Kuroo then, and gently brushed his fingertips against his jaw. “...I’m glad... that I didn’t lose you.” He shut his eyes for a moment in thought before he met Kuroo’s gaze once again. “I guess... I understand how you felt around New Year’s now.”  
  
Kuroo put his hand over the one Kenma had on his face, and gently rested their foreheads against each other. “Yeah... Sorry for jumping in after you, but not really, I guess?” He laughed a little, but it was weak and somewhat forced. “Not to make it about me or anything, but... seeing you in the water... I was terrified. And I know you must have been, too.”  
  
Kenma’s entire expression twisted, and Kuroo felt his stomach lurch -- the smaller man’s face was full of a mixture of the fear and anguish he’d been shoving aside for the duration of the case. “I-it was... bad,” he stammered quietly. He closed his eyes again, and took a deep, shaking breath. “Sleeping has been... hard. I keep having nightmares about the water -- and about you.” A shiver ran down his spine as images of Kuroo bleeding out in the ocean came back to him, and he held him just a little tighter. “I...”  
  
“It’s okay,” Kuroo whispered soothingly. He pulled Kenma close to him, and softly ran his fingers through his partner’s hair. “We’re both okay. We won’t go back there again, and we’re safe now.” He hesitated for a moment, and then pressed a gentle kiss against Kenma’s forehead. “We’ve got three weeks to ourselves to heal up and relax, and I’m pretty sure Bokuto’s never gonna send us on a case like that again.”  
  
Kenma laughed a bit weakly. “Knowing him, he’s probably gonna keep being overwhelmingly apologetic for the rest of the year.” A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “But... I’m glad I have three weeks off with you, at least.”  
  
“I know, right?” Kuroo grinned. “Next time we take a vacation, though, I’ll try to make sure it’s not because one of us got stabbed or shot or something.”  
  
Kenma’s smile grew warmer, and he pressed a quick kiss against the tip of Kuroo’s nose. “Sounds like a plan to me.”

* * *

They’d only just finished eating the takeout that Kenma ordered when Kuroo began to doze off.  
  
“Hey... you should take your medicine, and get some rest,” he said sternly. “You need a lot of sleep.”  
  
Kuroo groaned and covered up a yawn before rubbing blearily at his eyes. “Mm, I guess you’re right. Hey, do you... wanna stay in here tonight? I mean... not to. Do anything, but... just to be here.” He tugged his shirt off and turned away to try and hide the flustered look on his face. “I just thought--”  
  
A soft laugh tumbled over Kenma’s lips. “Yeah. I’d like that a lot.” He stood up, and gathered their empty dishes in his hands. “I’ll be right back after I put these in the sink and brush my teeth.”  
  
He took his time walking to the kitchen, and tried not to think about how much his cheeks were burning in the darkness of the apartment. _It’ll be nice to be close at home... maybe the nightmares won’t be so bad tonight._ He reached the sink, and quickly rinsed the plates before he shut the water off. _But I think I know it’ll probably be awhile before they’re gone completely..._  
  
As he made his way to the bathroom, though, he didn’t feel afraid. _Even if I have them for a while, I guess that’s okay. He’s right... we’re safe now._ The bouquet of roses caught his eye and brought a smile to his face; he’d set them up on the edge of the couch earlier when the food was delivered. _And... we’re closer than ever._  
  
In the bathroom, he quickly brushed his teeth and rinsed his face off before going back to Kuroo’s bedroom. Kuroo was already beginning to doze off under the blankets when Kenma shut the door behind him. Quietly, he climbed into the bed, and his boyfriend opened one sleepy eye to watch him as he turned off the lamp nearby.  
  
“Hey there, beautiful,” he whispered with a sleepy smile as he put one arm over Kenma’s waist and drew him close. “Fancy meeting you here.”  
  
“Shut up,” Kenma said with a quiet chuckle. He flushed a little as he paused, and then scooted closer to press a soft kiss against Kuroo’s lips. “Go to sleep.”  
  
In the darkness, Kuroo’s cheeks grew just a little warmer, but his smile grew larger as he snuggled close to Kenma. “All right... sweet dreams,” he said quietly.  
  
A moment later, Kuroo was asleep, and it didn’t take long for Kenma to fall into slumber in the taller man’s embrace.

* * *

It was nearly three in the morning when he woke with a strangled cry.  
  
Eyes wide with terror, Kenma clutched at the blanket so hard that his knuckles were drawn pale with tension as he took in large, ragged breaths and prayed that his racing heart would calm down a little. Kuroo was awake in an instant, groggy but attentive as he drew him close and whispered into his ear.  
  
“It’s okay... just a nightmare...” He yawned against Kenma’s hair, and gently brushed a stray strand from the smaller detective’s eyes. “It’s okay. I’m right here.”  
  
Kenma grasped at the other man’s arms and burrowed his face into the crook of Kuroo’s neck as he focused on taking slow, even breaths. “...Sorry,” he whispered. “Sorry, I just -- I...”  
  
“I know. It’s okay.” Kuroo gave him a sleepy kiss, and ran his hands gently over Kenma’s back. “It’s okay.”  
  
Reassured and comforted, Kenma managed to wind down, though it still took him about half an hour to fall back asleep.

* * *

Four hours later, Kuroo woke suddenly with tears burning at his eyes.  
  
Kenma blinked in the morning light that filtered through the curtains, and realized after a moment getting his bearings that Kuroo was shaking.  
  
“...Kuro?” he asked quietly. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”  
  
For a second, Kuroo didn’t reply; he just laid there with his palms pressed against his eyes, and took deep breaths. “...Just a nightmare,” he finally said in a very quiet voice. “Just a nightmare.” He moved his hands, and gave Kenma a weak, watery smile. “Looks like we both slept like shit, huh?”  
  
“...Do you wanna talk about it?” Kenma asked.  
  
Kuroo shook his head. “...No. I never wanna think about it again, if I can help it. They’ll probably calm down after a while. I mean... we both had ‘em for a few weeks after New Year’s, right?” He laughed, but it was slightly forced. “So I’m not too surprised.” He looked over at Kenma for a moment, and then spread his arms wide with a more genuine smile on his face. “Hey, c’mere... let’s cuddle a little bit before we get breakfast.”  
  
Kenma sighed and crawled over, and Kuroo immediately hugged him close.  
  
“I’m so glad you’re here,” he whispered against Kenma’s hair, genuine and serious. “Thank you for everything.”  
  
Speechless, Kenma just squeezed him tighter, and hid his face against Kuroo’s neck. “...I should be thanking you too,” he eventually mumbled against his warm skin. “You’ve always been there for me. Ever since we were kids.” He breathed in deep as a rush of profound fondness seeped into every corner of his soul. “You always... believed in me. When nobody else did.”  
  
Kuroo didn’t reply, and when Kenma looked up, his cheeks were warm and slightly red. “Shut up,” he mumbled awkwardly. “I’m just... not used to hearing you say stuff like that.”  
  
Kenma laughed, and tilted his head upward so he could lightly kiss Kuroo’s jaw. “You’re such a dork,” he smiled. “Nobody realizes it, but it’s true.”  
  
“Oh, that’s nice, coming from you,” Kuroo grumbled. A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips despite himself. “When’s the last time you went more than twenty four hours without playing a videogame?”  
  
“And when’s the last time you didn’t watch me play one?” Kenma shot back.  
  
Kuroo shrugged in defeat. “All right, all right. I guess we’re both dorks.” He stretched a little, and rubbed at one eye. “Hey, what do you want for breakfast? Let’s order something.”  
  
“I don’t care... the usual, I guess? Let me get my phone, I think I left it in the kitchen.”  
  
Kuroo watched him go with a smile on his face, and despite the soreness of his healing injury, he felt more content than he had had in a long, long time.

* * *

The days passed by in a blur.  
  
After the first week, Kuroo seemed much more like his usual self; the worst of his wound was healed, and he needed far less painkillers than he had before. He and Kenma had subsisted almost entirely on takeout and delivery, but when they woke up on the seventh morning, the older man insisted on cooking breakfast.  
  
“C’mon. I’ll go take a quick shower, and then make something simple. Promise I’ll sit down if my tummy aches,” he grinned. “Don’t worry so much.”  
  
“Who said I was worried?” Kenma grumbled drowsily as he pulled the blankets over his head. “Wake me up when you’re done in the bathroom. I’m going back to sleep.”  
  
“Lazy,” Kuroo teased playfully. He slid out of bed and scratched absently at his bare chest as he left the room. As soon as he got to the bathroom, he shut the door behind him and took off his pajama pants before turning on the water in the shower, and carefully tested its temperature. When it was warm enough, he stepped under the spray, and let out a content sigh as it washed over his skin.  
  
 _Feels good. Almost too good,_ he thought with a strained smile as he imagined Kenma in the dresses he’d worn on the cruise. _Having him sleeping next to me the last week has been nice, but so, so tempting... damn._ He rested the side of his face against the cool tiles of the shower wall, and sighed. _But hey. I’m not gonna rush things... we’re gonna take this at his pace._  
  
His fingertips brushed against his inner thigh, and he felt something inside of him give way. _An extra five minutes in here wouldn’t hurt..._ He bit his lower lip and let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding in as his hand drifted lower.  
  
Back in the bed they’d been sharing for a week, Kenma’s eyes were squeezed shut as he tried -- and failed -- not to imagine his boyfriend in the shower.

* * *

They were having lunch on the couch two days later when Kenma’s phone vibrated.  
  
He flipped it open, and Kuroo immediately reached over to tousle his hair. “Hey, hey, I’ve been trying to get you to watch The Princess Bride forever! Pay attention,” he pouted.  
  
“Just pause it, this is important,” Kenma mumbled while he checked his email.   
  
“Oho? What is it?” Kuroo asked curiously as he scooted closer.  
  
Kenma turned his screen so that Kuroo could see. “I sent an email asking if the onsen nearby had any slots open soon. And they just got back to me saying that they do.” Slightly flustered, he looked away. “So, if you want to go in a week when you’re healed up a little more... it’s my treat.”  
  
Kuroo’s eyes widened, and he leaned forward and wrapped Kenma in a firm hug. “Are you kidding? You’re the best. Is that what you’ve been saving for?” he asked with a bright smile. At Kenma’s nod, his eyes sparkled with affection. “You’re too good to me.”  
  
“Yeah, I am.” Kuroo pouted at that, and Kenma gave him a small smile of his own. “Okay. I’ll make the reservation, and then we can keep watching the movie.”  
  
Kuroo pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek, and nuzzled into him as Kenma typed away on his phone. “Thanks, Kenma. You really are amazing.”  
  
Kenma’s blush spilled over his cheeks, faintly pink in the dim light of their living room. “Shut up and watch the movie,” he muttered. A small smile caught at the edge of his mouth, and it didn’t escape Kuroo’s notice, who promptly kissed him again before turning his attention back to the television.

* * *

“I need to go outside, or I’m gonna lose my mind,” Kuroo announced as he walked into the bedroom with a towel slung low on his hips. His freshly showered hair was its usual mess, and Kenma watched him groggily from under the blankets, entranced by the apocalypse on the other man’s head. “So I’m gonna go get coffee instead of making it.”  
  
“Nngh,” Kenma groaned. “Okay... I’ll probably be up when you get back... maybe. Be careful.”  
  
Kuroo laughed as he rifled through his dresser for a change of clothes. “I’m healed up enough to do twenty minutes of walking, don’t worry about it.”  
  
A minute later, he finished pulling a t-shirt over his head, and gave Kenma a quick kiss on the tip of his nose. “I’ll be back soon, and I’ll bring you your favorite, sleepyhead.”  
  
“Mmghh.”  
  
As Kuroo’s footsteps faded away, and the sound of the front door closing reached Kenma’s ears, the detective found that he was too awake to doze off any longer. He stifled a yawn as he sat up and got out of bed, and wandered to the bathroom to take a quick shower.  
  
And it was there that he got an idea.

* * *

“Hey, I’m back! Ugh, that took longer than I thought it would.” Kuroo locked the front door behind him, and carefully balanced a tray that held two hot cups of coffee and a small paper bag with donuts. “The line was super long. Not too surprising, I guess, since it’s a Monday morning -- hey, where are you?” He set the tray down on the table in front of the couch, and looked around for a moment before he walked back towards the bedroom.   
  
He opened the door with a grin. “Still asleep? ... _Oh_.”  
  
Kenma was sitting on the bed, in his favorite red dress with a slit on each side nearly to the tops of his thighs, complete with his heels and eyeliner. He looked confident, but a hint of insecurity flickered into his expression as he spoke. “...Hi.”  
  
Kuroo felt his pulse speed up as he took several steps closer. “...What’s the occasion?” he asked. “Not that I’m complaining, I just... wow.”  
  
Kenma shrugged, and met his gaze head-on. “The occasion is that I liked wearing this stuff, even if it was a little annoying to put on. And I think you liked me wearing it too.” He patted the spot on the bed beside him. “Come here.”  
  
Without another word, Kuroo climbed onto the bed, and laid down, his eyes on Kenma the entire time. “What are you...?”  
  
Kenma’s movements were fluid and graceful as he swung one leg over and straddled Kuroo’s hips, and the front of his dress pooled on Kuroo’s abdomen. “I think you know exactly what I’m doing,” he replied. “...If... you want to, I mean.”  
  
Kuroo felt his mind nearly short-circuit with the realization that Kenma was almost definitely not wearing anything under his dress. “Y-yeah. Hell yeah, I want to,” Kuroo replied breathlessly as he rested his hands on Kenma’s thighs. “As long as you’re okay with it... Let’s not do anything you aren’t comfortable with.”  
  
A small smile quirked at his lips as Kenma’s eyes went dark with desire. “You’re a gentleman, but trust me, I know exactly what I want.” He wiggled his hips, and Kuroo had to bite back a moan at the unexpected friction. “You just let me do the work... tell me if you want me to stop at any point.”  
  
“Okay. Wow. Okay. I don’t think I will, but sure. Same to you... wait. The coffee’s gonna get cold, is that--” Kuroo felt his pulse speed up as Kenma wiggled again, and the smaller man leaned down to press a warm, deep kiss against his lips.   
  
“I definitely don’t care about the coffee right now,” Kenma muttered against his mouth before he kissed him again. Kuroo shivered beneath him, and slowly dragged his hands higher on Kenma’s thighs until they rested on the smaller man’s hips. His breath caught in his throat as Kenma rolled his hips forward again, and Kuroo could feel that he was already almost completely hard -- and judging by the tent in the front of Kenma’s dress, he was too.  
  
Kenma knew his whole face was flushed with embarrassment, but his confidence was bolstered by the fact that Kuroo clearly wasn’t much better off. Experimentally, he ran his tongue over Kuroo’s bottom lip; the taller man gasped beneath him, and pressed deeper into the kiss.  
  
His blood felt like fire as Kenma kissed him harder and gently nipped at his lower lip. Kenma resisted the urge to continue, and instead broke away to trail kisses along the side of Kuroo’s jaw, and then down his neck, each one warm and slightly damp. He paused for a moment and leaned forward to gently nibble at the shell of Kuroo’s ear, and his boyfriend gasped quietly at the contact. After a moment, he kissed his way back to Kuroo’s mouth, and paused to whisper against his lips.  
  
“Take your shirt off,” he said quietly. “Take everything off.”  
  
He leaned back as Kuroo quickly took his shirt off in one smooth motion; he tossed it to the side without even looking to see where it would land, and kept his eyes locked on Kenma’s the entire time.  
  
With a small smile, Kenma gently pushed him back so that he was laying down again, and kissed him once more. As he nibbled at Kuroo’s bottom lip, the taller man fumbled to unbuckle his belt; his fingers brushed against Kenma’s ass, and by the time he managed to slide his pants and boxers down his legs and kick them away, he was nearly dizzy with lust. Shamelessly, Kenma rolled his hips once more; there was no longer any barrier between them.  
  
“Oh, _god_ ,” Kuroo moaned. “Kenma, _Kenma_...”  
  
Kenma replied by leaning forward and sliding one of his hands under the pillow beneath Kuroo’s head; when he brought it back out, he was holding a tiny bottle and an aluminum square. Kuroo looked at him, surprised but obviously pleased.  
  
“You... were ready for this,” he said, a hint of awe in his voice.  
  
“More than you realize,” Kenma smiled, a little bashful as he wiggled the bottle of lube. Kuroo’s eyes flickered to it, and he realized that it was only just shy of being entirely full.  
  
His eyes widened with the realization. “Holy _shit_ , you mean--”  
  
“I got ready while you were gone,” he smirked. He leaned forward to kiss him again, and whispered against his lips. “Kuro... you have... _no idea_ how much I’ve been thinking about this.”   
  
Kuroo closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath; as Kenma sat up straight again, he could see that the other man’s blush was dark across his cheeks. Carefully, he slid down Kuroo’s legs, and without breaking eye contact, he leaned lower and lower -- and slowly licked a long, wet stripe along Kuroo’s entire length.  
  
A moan spilled past his lips, and Kenma took the opportunity to tear open the aluminum packet with his teeth. He threw the wrapper off to the side, and rolled the condom onto Kuroo’s cock before covering it with a liberal amount of lube.  
  
“Is this okay?” he asked quietly.   
  
Kuroo’s breathing had grown ragged. “Yeah, god, _please_...” His eyes were dark as Kenma raised himself up on his knees; he couldn’t see what he was doing, since the front of the dress obscured his hand, but he could feel his cock in Kenma’s palm, and shivered as he felt the tip brush against his warm entrance. Slowly, Kenma let himself sink down onto Kuroo’s length, one centimeter at a time, until Kuroo was buried in him to the hilt.  
  
The smaller detective let out a breath he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding in as he stilled for a moment to adjust. His skin was hot to the touch as Kuroo dragged his slightly shaking hands up his thighs, and clumsily reached for the zipper at the side of the dress.  
  
“Take it off,” he whispered hoarsely. “If -- if you want. I just... want to see you. All of you.”  
  
Kenma nodded, and gently pushed Kuroo’s hand away before he slowly, teasingly unzipped the dress. With a wiggle of his hips, he pulled the fabric away and tossed it to the side; he was wearing absolutely nothing aside from his pair of black heels. His entire face was red with embarrassment; his flush spilled all the way down his neck to his collarbones, but he seemed pleased with himself as Kuroo took in a sharp breath at the sight of his boyfriend naked on top of him.  
  
“You’re beautiful,” he whispered, awe clear in his voice. He reached up, and traced the scar along Kenma’s abdomen with his fingertips. “I’m so damn lucky...”  
  
Kenma smiled a little bashfully as he leaned forward, and placed his palms on the side of Kuroo’s abdomen, where his bandages were stark white against his skin. He took a deep breath, and raised himself up -- and came back down all at once.  
  
They gasped in unison as pleasure shot through them, and as Kenma repeated the motion again, Kuroo couldn’t help but whimper a little. “Kenma... Kenma, oh my _god_ \--”  
  
Kenma moaned quietly as he wiggled his hips a few times, and then continued bouncing up and down on Kuroo’s cock in a steady, fast-paced rhythm. His own cock slapped against his stomach with each movement; Kuroo reached out to touch it, but Kenma swatted his hand away, though his willpower nearly failed him.  
  
“N-not yet,” he stammered. “I’m going to... I’m going to finish after you -- I’m gonna let you watch me...”  
  
Kuroo nodded, and grasped weakly at Kenma’s hips as the smaller detective began to speed up. His grip became more firm as his fingertips dug into Kenma’s skin with desperation as he experimentally rocked his own hips upward to meet Kenma’s motions; they both moaned, loud and nearly keening with pleasure as they met again with more force.  
  
Kenma began to move faster, and Kuroo was almost having trouble keeping up the pace. Each thrust brought him closer and closer; to his embarrassment, he could already feel the beginnings of a wonderful pressure coiling low and tight in his gut.  
  
“Kenma,” he whispered, his voice raw, “Kenma, if you don’t slow down, I’m... I’m gonna--”  
  
“That’s... that’s fine,” Kenma said breathily. “I want you to... I... want you to come for me... Tetsurou.”   
  
Kuroo’s breath caught in his throat, and his chest flooded with warmth. “Say that again,” he begged. “Say it again--”  
  
Kenma’s cheeks darkened. “I... I want you to come for me, Tetsurou.” He began to move even faster, and whimpered as Kuroo rocked up and continued to thrust inside of him. “Harder -- harder, come inside of me...”  
  
“Kenma, _Kenma_ , please, oh my _god_ \--” Kuroo rocked up, faster and faster as sweat beaded on his brow. He bit at his lower lip and gripped Kenma’s hips harder as his breathing became more ragged, and their motions slowly became less synchronized as more sloppy as he continued to pound into him. “I’m -- oh god, I’m--”  
  
With a wicked smile, Kenma continued to bounce, but experimentally clenched his muscles around Kuroo’s length. Kuroo let out a strangled cry as he felt the pressure inside of him grow and grow, and squeezed his eyes shut.  
  
Finally, he felt the pressure break; he moaned, loud and shameless, a hint of a whimper in his voice as his cock pulsed inside of Kenma’s heat. His toes curled as he rode out the waves of his orgasm, and his hands fell to his sides as he breathed heavily and looked up at Kenma, dazed and sated.  
  
Kenma smiled down at him. “Now it’s my turn,” he whispered. He raised his hips so that Kuroo’s length came out of him, and moved forward to sit over Kuroo’s chest, careful not to hurt the wound on his abdomen before he took his own cock into his hand, and pumped it slowly, swirling the precum over the tip. He locked eyes with Kuroo as he began to increase the speed of his strokes, and whimpered as Kuroo reached up to gently roll one of his nipples between his fingers. “ _Fuck_ ,” he moaned, “I’m--”  
  
“Do it,” Kuroo said breathlessly, a hint of begging clear in his voice. “Do it--”  
  
“Is it -- is that okay? I’ll get it on you--”  
  
Kuroo’s eyes were smoldering with heat. “I don’t care... I want you to. Come on me, just -- finish right on my face, Kenma, let me taste it, let me taste you--”  
  
Kenma moaned again, and dragged his fingers over his cock one more time before he finished with a whimper. Long, thick stripes of cum landed on Kuroo’s cheeks and lips as Kenma shuddered through the rest of his orgasm with another breathy moan. He fell forward on his hands, and watched, completely entranced, as Kuroo brought a hand up to his face.  
  
Slowly, he dragged his index finger through the mess on his face, and brought it to his lips. With a smile, he opened his mouth and sucked it clean with an appreciative hum.  
  
“Tastes good,” he smiled.  
  
“You’re such a liar,” Kenma said with an embarrassed smile. “There’s no way. Let me clean you up.”  
  
“No, it totally does!” Kuroo laughed. “But sure, I guess. Maybe I shouldn’t have a whole bunch of that on an empty stomach.” He stopped, and smirked a little as he raised one eyebrow. “Gotta say, though, it sounds like the perfect breakfast to me.”  
  
“Shut up,” Kenma muttered as he grabbed a tissue from the night stand. Gently, he wiped Kuroo’s face off, and blushed a little as his boyfriend leaned forward to press a kiss against his nose.  
  
“Hey... I...” Kuroo faltered for a moment, uncharacteristically shy. “I love you, Kenma. I want you to know that -- I’m serious about this. About us. I love you a whole hell of a lot.”  
  
Kenma smiled, and leaned forward to kiss him on the mouth, heedless of the lingering taste of himself on Kuroo’s tongue. “I know,” he said quietly. “I love you too.”

* * *

They were cuddling in bed, drinking their reheated coffee when Kuroo’s phone vibrated on the night stand with an incoming message.  
  
“It’s Bokuto,” Kenma said as he handed it to his boyfriend.  
  
Kuroo rolled his eyes. “This is probably gonna be good. He’s been texting me almost nonstop since I told him we got together.”  
  
 _> YEAH GET IT KUROO_  
 _> i know youve got game!! use it!!!_  
  
“Ugh,” he said with exasperated fondness. “Yeah, that’s about what I expected.” At that exact moment, his phone vibrated again -- but this time, the message was from Akaashi.  
  
 _> I’m sorry. Please ignore him._  
  
 _> dont listen to whatever akaashi just said because im sure it was something mean!!_  
 _> anyway listen lets go on a double date sometime!!!_  
 _> how about in a few days?! how are you feeling?? think you might be up for it?_  
  
“He barely takes a breath even when he’s texting,” Kuroo laughed. “Anyway, what do you think? Double date with them?”  
  
Kenma shrugged. “I don’t see why not. It probably wouldn’t be all that different from when we usually hang out, right?”  
  
“True,” Kuroo agreed as he typed out a reply.  
  
 _> bo you didn’t even let me say yes yet_  
 _> but yeah definitely_  
  
 _> YES!!!! lets do a movie night or something_  
 _> we can figure it out later i guess_  
 _> go back to kissing kenma or whatever you big gay_  
  
 _> you’re just as gay as i am, you have a boyfriend_  
  
 _> I KNOW isn’t he perfect <3_  
  
“He’s so embarrassing,” Kenma said with a small smile. “Anyway... I was thinking...” He glanced away, and scrunched the sheets up in his fist a little nervously. “What if we... tried out a bath bomb? Together.” He looked back at Kuroo, who looked pleasantly surprised. “...Akaashi left one at the bottom of that huge bouquet. He said it’s his favorite one.”  
  
Kuroo’s smile lit up his eyes. “You’re full of good ideas today. Yeah, let’s do it.”

* * *

Kuroo shut the water off once the tub was full, and carefully stepped in before lowering himself to a sitting position.  
  
“Come on in,” he grinned.  
  
With slightly flushed cheeks, Kenma climbed in after him, and seated himself between Kuroo’s legs, with his back resting gently against his boyfriend’s chest. He reached over to the edge of the tub, picked up the bath bomb, and carefully unwrapped the plastic around it.  
  
After tossing the wrapper in the trash, he just held it in his hands for a moment to examine it; it was a small, slightly glittery purple sphere shaped like Saturn. “So this is the thing those two use all the time,” he remarked casually. “I’ve heard a lot about them...”  
  
“Yeah, apparently they’re great. C’mon, put it in the water,” Kuroo smiled.  
  
“Okay.” He dropped it in, and smiled a little as it immediately began to fizz and spread sparkly, violet swirls through the water.  
  
“Damn, that’s pretty cool... smells good, too.” Kuroo’s entire body relaxed, and idly, he traced the scar along the front of Kenma’s shoulder. “C’mon, lean back... let’s take it easy.”  
  
Kenma hummed in agreement, and reached over the edge of the tub -- to pick his DS off of the floor.  
  
Instead of objecting, a huge smile spread over Kuroo’s face. “Oh, nice. Are you gonna play more Fire Emblem?” He rested his chin on Kenma’s shoulder; the other man opened the DS, and nodded.  
  
“Yeah. I figured I could get through a couple more maps while we soak.”  
  
“Cool. I wanna know what happens next.” He nuzzled into Kenma’s neck affectionately, and pressed a light kiss against his warm, damp skin as the other man selected a save file.  
  
They stayed there together until the water became unpleasantly cool, and after quickly washing themselves up, they finally left the tub to spend the rest of the day lounging in comfort and dozing off together.

* * *

“Hey hey heeey! Nice place!!”  
  
Kuroo grinned as Bokuto and Akaashi walked into the apartment and took off their shoes. “This isn’t the first time you’ve been here, so why are you acting so surprised?”  
  
“Jeez, I dunno, maybe because I haven’t been here in like... what, two months, Keiji?”  
  
“Something like that,” Akaashi agreed. “Here, Kuroo-san. We brought some sake with us.”  
  
Kuroo laughed a little. “C’mon, Akaashi, you don’t have to be so formal -- oh, damn, this is the expensive stuff,” he said with a smile as he took the bottle. “Thanks!”  
  
“It’s no problem. Dinner’s on us, too.” He followed Kuroo and Bokuto to the living room, where Kenma was sitting on the couch, scrolling through the emails on his phone. “How are you feeling, by the way?”  
  
Kuroo plopped down beside Kenma, and kicked his feet up on the table as he put an arm around his boyfriend’s shoulders. “Right as rain. Healing up pretty good, so don’t worry about me too much. Got myself a nasty scar for my trouble, but I’ll be fine.”  
  
“Awesome! Damn, I’m happy to hear that,” Bokuto beamed. “Hey, what food do ya want? Sushi, right? Sushi’s the perfect celebration food,” he grinned as he sat down beside Akaashi, who had taken a seat on the other side of Kenma.  
  
“Hell yeah,” Kuroo agreed. “Get a ton of salmon sashimi for me. I’ll seriously eat as much as you put in front of me.”  
  
Bokuto gave him an incredulous look. “Just salmon? Not even some tempura or something?”  
  
“Listen, salmon has a lot of nutrients, and I’m a growing boy--”  
  
“You’re almost 28!”  
  
“Ugh, don’t remind me.”  
  
Akaashi cleared his throat. “If you don’t stop arguing and tell me exactly what you want, I’m just going to guess and place the order.”  
  
A few minutes and two sidetracked conversations later, they finally placed an order at a nearby restaurant using Kenma’s laptop. What followed was the lengthy process of deciding what they were going to watch; after shooting down Bokuto’s initial suggestion of a shark documentary (“It was just a joke, don’t glare at me like that!”), they decided on a long superhero movie that the captain insisted was one of the best things in the universe.  
  
A little over two hours later, the food and sake were gone, the movie was over, and both Bokuto and Kuroo were both snoring quietly.  
  
“We should get going,” Akaashi said to Kenma. He gave him a soft smile. “Thanks for having us over.”  
  
“No problem,” Kenma replied. He glanced at Kuroo, who was passed out against his shoulder. “Thanks for coming. And... for everything else, too.”  
  
Akaashi’s smile grew wider. “It’s no trouble at all.” He turned to the other side, and shook Bokuto awake with a gentle touch. “Come on, Koutarou. It’s late; let’s go home.”  
  
“Huh?!” He rubbed his eyes, and let out an enormous yawn as he stretched. “Oh, damn! How long was I out? What time is it?”  
  
“I don’t know, maybe fifteen minutes or so? It’s still about two hours until midnight,” Akaashi said. “Let’s get going so Kenma can rest.”  
  
“Oh, yeah... okay!” he agreed with a bright smile. He jumped up from the couch, and waved at Kenma. “See ya! Take care of Kuroo, okay? And have fun at the onsen,” he added with a wink and a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows.  
  
Kenma rolled his eyes, but his cheeks were faintly pink as Akaashi sighed, grabbed Bokuto by the arm, and dragged him to the front door. “Have a good night, Kenma. Let us know if you need anything.”  
  
“Yeah, what he said! Hey, don’t glare at me, Keiji--”  
  
“Kuroo-san is sleeping,” he scolded as they both slipped their shoes on. “Come on, we have tomorrow off, but you need to rest, too.”  
  
“Okay, okay...”  
  
A moment later, it was quiet in the apartment once more, aside from Kuroo’s soft snoring. Kenma watched him for a moment, and then woke him by gently shaking him shoulder. “Hey... Kuro. Let’s go to bed,” he said with a small smile.  
  
Kuroo yawned and hummed his agreement, but instead of getting up, he pulled Kenma close in a sudden embrace. “I love you,” he whispered into his ear. “I’m the luckiest guy in the world. That’s been true since the day we met.”  
  
Kenma’s blush was dark on his cheeks. “That’s so embarrassing,” he grumbled. “But... I feel the same way. And I...” For a moment, a flicker of pain and fear crossed his face, but it faded almost as quickly as it appeared. “I’m glad that you weren’t hurt. And... thank you. For saving me.”  
  
Kuroo’s smile was warm, brimming with twenty years of affection and love. “Just returning the favor, right?” he said quietly. “I’d do it again, if I had to. I’d do anything for you.”  
  
Kenma leaned forward, and kissed him, slow and tender. “Same to you, Tetsurou,” he whispered, “always.”

* * *

The trip to the onsen only lasted two nights, but it was every bit as relaxing as both of them had hoped.  
  
Even when they were on vacation there, nothing had really changed between them, aside from the addition of kisses and more hugs than they’d shared before they started dating. The only thing that convinced Kenma not to bring his PSP into the springs was Kuroo insisting that the steam would be too dangerous for the electronics, so they ended up splashing each other for five minutes before going back to their room.  
  
There was no strain, no tension, no discomfort that had been introduced by them dating; their relationship had simply taken on an additional element.  
  
And when the nightmares came -- as they inevitably did -- they were there for one another, as they always had been.  
  
When the day came that they returned to 1st Unit, they walked to the office hand in hand, and pretended to ignore the knowing smiles on each of their coworkers’ faces -- but they couldn’t hide the quiet happiness radiating from both of them.  
  
“About damn time,” Konoha laughed. “Oh. I mean, hi. Nice to have ya back.”  
  
“You’re the worst,” Kuroo laughed, “and I missed your bad attitude.”  
  
“Now that’s more like it!” Bokuto beamed. “C’mon, we’ve got a burglary with our names written all over it, Kuroo! Let’s get to work!”  
  
Kuroo squeezed Kenma’s hand. “Sure thing. Sounds good to me. Right, Kenma?”  
  
Kenma nodded. “Sure. Let’s do it.”  
  
Life continued, and they faced their challenges together.  
  
Together --  
  
Like they always had been.

* * *

 

_“our greatest glory is not in never falling -- but in rising every time we fall.” --ralph waldo emerson_

 


End file.
